Bad Ends
by Shadow Wasserson
Summary: What happens when the timing is a bit off, when the foes are just a little smarter, just a bit stronger? A series of 'what ifs' exploring the darker possibilities of Avatar. If you like seeing the protagonists suffer, this is the fic for you!
1. Where You Stand

**Disclaimer**: You better be glad Avatar isn't mine. It would probably end up like this…

**A/N**: A save in the nick of time. A small miscalculation. A close shave. Such things adventures are made of. But what happens when the timing is a bit off, when the foes are just a little smarter, just a bit stronger?

This series of one-shots will explore the darker possibilities of the Avatar world. Expect pain, suffering, death, and no happy endings. You have been warned.

_

* * *

The Warden is a ruthless man, and he won't stand for any rebellion. I'm sorry, but we're powerless._

-Tyro

_You're one mistake away from dying where you stand._

-Warden Shen of Earthbender Prison Camp Six

**Where You Stand**

Katara stood straight and strong, facing into the setting sun glinting off the metal deck of the prison ship. She turned to face the earthbender prisoners, banging her spoon on the lid of the gruel pot, and watched as dozens of eyes turned towards her. She took a deep breath, and began.

"Earthbenders! You don't know me, but I know of you. Every child of my water tribe village was rocked to sleep with stories of the brave Earth Kingdom and the courageous earthbenders who guard its borders. Some of you may think that the Fire Nation has made you powerless. Yes, they have taken away your ability to bend, but they can't take away your courage and it is your courage they should truly fear! Because it runs deeper than any mine you've been forced to dig, any ocean that keeps you far from home. It is the strength of your hearts that make you who you are, hearts that will remain unbroken when all rock and stone has eroded away. The time to fight back is now! I can tell you the Avatar has returned! So remember your courage, earthbenders, let us fight for our freedom!"

Warden Shen stood on the balcony overlooking the deck, where a young girl was trying to make some sort of inspirational speech. The prisoners weren't really listening, but still, that sort of behavior wouldn't do. He waved for a guard.

Katara looked into the prisoners' faces hopefully, searching for the will to prevail that she knew was there. But her gaze was met only with expressions of shock, dejection, and fear. Even Haru wouldn't meet her gaze. She deflated. What was wrong? Why wouldn't they listen to her? They had more spirit than this, she knew they did…

Suddenly, a hand closed over her shoulder. She started and looked up into the face of a helmeted guard, and tried to shrug away. Then a hand closed over her other shoulder, and she was steered away from the platform where she had made her speech. "T-Tyro!" she cried, her stomach twisting in her throat as the guards started to force-march her away.

But Haru's father could only look at her sadly as she was silently led into the depths of the ship.

* * *

Warden Shen looked down at the furious-looking girl, a cheerless grin playing on his lips. "Hello, child," he said. "I heard you out there, and I must say it was a lovely speech. But I think you'll find that the prisoners here were broken long ago. They will not resist. And you…" He leaned down until he was eye level with the girl's glaring, dark-skinned face. "… are about to learn why."

"Sir," said one of the guards, staring straight ahead. "What shall be done with her?"

The Warden raised his hand to his chin, putting on a show of thinking it over. But the moment he had laid eyes on this particular prisoner, he'd known what her punishment would be.

"Give her to the men," he said, inclining his head slightly towards the guards. "I do believe they have been without pleasurable company for quite some time, and they deserve a little treat, don't you agree?"

Katara stared for a moment, the angry expression turning first into surprise, then slowly dawning fear. The Warden looked into her eyes as they went wide, then as her mouth fell open. "W-what?" she gasped. "But… No! N-no! No! No, no don't!"

The Warden allowed himself a satisfying smirk, watching as she began to struggle against the guards. But they were almost twice her size, and easily contained her kicking and writhing. "Take her away," he ordered, and the guards hastily complied.

* * *

"Aang! What took you so- Where's Katara?"

"I don't know!" said Aang, looking fearful. "I found Haru, but I can't find Katara! Do... do you think something's…"

"What?" Sokka's eyes grew wide. "Are you sure? Did you check everywhere?"

"I did look everywhere! Unless she's below decks, and I don't have a key!"

"Oh no. Oh no oh no. Can you break in?"

"Not without waking up the whole ship!" Aang looked like he was on the verge of panic.

"Can you steal a key?"

"Oh," Aang looked up. "Maybe, but we would lose the element of surprise."

"You know what, Aang? Right now I don't care. I just want to get my sister, and get out of here. Okay?"

Aang swallowed. "Okay."

"Then go!"

Sokka watched as the Avatar ran back onto the ship, praying to whatever spirit that would listen that Katara was okay.

* * *

Flesh flesh flesh against flesh. Pulling grabbing hitting slapping bruising oh spirits it hurts it hurts it _hurts_.

Oh spirits, spirits help me, please please. Get me out of here or kill me I don't care just make it stop. Break my bonds break my bones I'm dying oh spirits they're tearing my insides apart.

He's finished. He's finished it's through and maybe–

No! No no no no! Not another one please not another haven't you had enough? Haven't you had enough of me please please just let go let go you'll kill me I'll die.

Oh spirits, is that screaming coming from _me?_ Spirits, let somebody hear. Let somebody hear oh please please just stop stop stop stop.

Hot tears on my face I could bend them but I can't _move_ they have my hands feet body all of me all of me just please leave me is there any part of me they haven't _touched_ oh spirits oh Mama it still hurts.

Stop.

Please…

* * *

Aang ran through the corridors of the prison ship. He didn't know quite what he was looking for, only that he had to get there _fast,_ before the guards caught up. He vaulted over the head of a surprised guard in front of him, dodged a fireblast, and skidded around a corner into a lower level. He shut the door behind him and held it shut with a gust of wind while he fumbled with his stolen keys. He looked around desperately. He was trapped. He ran down the corridor, casting his eyes about for a way out, and heard… something. Not really a sob. More like a hitched breath.

"Hello?" he called, and peered cautiously through a barred window. It was a simple room, with only a hard cot and a small chamber pot. And on the cot was…

"Katara…" he breathed. He immediately felt a flush of embarrassment, and turned his face away. Where were her clothes?

The naked body on the bed didn't move. "Katara," he repeated, terror creeping into his voice.

This time, Aang thought he saw a slight shifting of weight. His pulse raced. She was alive! He tried several keys, none of them right, before becoming frustrated. The guards could come any second! "I'm going to blow the door down, okay? Okay, Katara?"

There was a shriek of tearing metal and a roar of wind, and the door was blown off its hinges. The form on the bed looked up, struggling to cover itself with its arms. "No!" it cried, panicked. "Please don't!"

"Katara!" Aang walked over the wreckage of the door, trying not to look at Katara while at the same time trying to assess if she was hurt. "Why are you… Where… What happened?"

"Aang," said Katara, and burst into dry sobs, her entire body trembling and shuddering.

"Katara!" cried Aang again, this time bringing himself to look at Katara's face. He rocked onto the balls of his feet, attempting to resist the urge to put his arms around her. Then, he gave in. Trying desperately not to look down, he put his arms around her shoulders and held her tightly.

"It… it'll be okay, Katara," he said, his voice shaking. "It'll be okay."

Katara did not respond, only continued to tremble as the sound of the guards' boots echoed down the corridor…

**

* * *

A/N**: Well, I did warn you. The Warden sure was lenient in the show, wasn't he?


	2. Appa pt 1: Possum Chicken

**Disclaimer**: You better be glad Avatar isn't mine. It would probably end up like this…

_

* * *

You MUZZLED Appa?_

-Aang

_Bet he tastes a lot like possum chicken._

-Due

**Possum Chicken**

"Sorry to interrupt the lesson," spoke up Sokka, standing suddenly and stretching. "But we still need to find Appa and Momo."

"I think I know how to find them," said Aang thoughtfully. He moved into a crouch, placing his hand on the bark of the Banyan and closing his eyes. "Everything… is connected," he murmured.

Aang could feel himself expanding, reaching outward through the linked, entangled roots of the trees. The feeling of water moving, and cool soil, and sunlight on leaves, and the thrumming of countless tiny lives, all linked by shared breath… is this what the swamp man meant?

And then… there! There, the spirit that Aang knew so well it was practically his own, his bison, his Appa, fear rolling off him, roaring, struggling against a net…

And, just like that, the Avatar was back in his own body. He opened his eyes. "Come on!" he cried. "We gotta hurry!"

* * *

The enormous white animal bellowed and struggled against the net. Its horns had become entangled, and the boats were pressing in close on either side. There was nowhere left for it to go. Tho grinned. They had it now! A critter like that… they'd feast for weeks!

Suddenly, it lifted its tail and heaved it down, spraying the hunters with water. And the creature _lifted_ into the air. Tho gaped as the beast pulled up mightily, rising higher, and the hunters holding onto the net braced themselves against the sides of their skiffs, struggling to hold on. Due yelped as the net was torn from his hands, and the creature flapped its tail again, buffeting the hunters below with unnaturally strong winds. Tho held up a hand to hold on to his hat, then stood up. He'd wanted to take the creature alive, to keep the meat fresh. But if they couldn't…

Tho drew up a steam of water and froze it into an ice spear. Then, aiming for where he estimated the animal's heart to be, he threw. The beast was still tangled in the net by its horns and attached to the boats below, and, though it pulled mightily, it couldn't get out of the way.

The huge animal dropped into the water with a resounding crash, rocking the skiffs and thankfully not crushing anyone. It thrashed, churning the air and the bloody water into a froth with its legs and tail. Due drew up a water shield to protect the boat, and soon the beast went still.

As the waves settled, Due released the shield, and the hunters surveyed their handiwork. Due let out a low whistle. "Good goin', Tho!" he said, nodding appreciatively, and the other two hunters let out whoops and cheers, fixing ropes to the carcass to drag it back to camp.

* * *

"…cut 'em, and gut 'em and I tossed the heads in the water to keep them cat-gators fed," sang Tho, tapping the side of the skiff to keep a rhythm for Due to waterbend to. Spirits were high. True, there was no way they'd be able to eat the whole thing, but they could easily feed the whole village with this one kill. Tho smiled as he sang. It had been a good day.

Something rustled in the vines, and the hunting party turned as one to look over. Then, a jet of water ripped through the vegetation, smashing into the nearest skiff and utterly destroying it. Its two occupants were thrown through the air and into the water, screaming. Tho looked back at the vines, grabbing the bag with the Lemoo protectively, not knowing what to expect.

There was a shout, and a surprisingly small form jumped out of the forest and onto a tree root, but before Tho could even process what was happening, he was hit hard by… nothing at all. Or at least, nothing he could see, but it was enough to send him flying out of the boat and the bag sailing out of his hands.

"We're under attack!" cried Due belatedly, and brought up a wave of water at their attackers, who simply reached out and stopped it.

Due and the attackers wrestled for a moment over control of the wave, when a young girl's voice said: "Hey, you guys are waterbenders!"

"You too?" said Due excitedly. "That means we're kin!"

The wave dropped, and two more people came running onto the root, including a very welcome face. But before Due could call a greeting to old Huu, one of the strangers said: "Appa?"

Due followed the boy's gaze to the beast they had killed, its white fur stained with red. "Appa!" the boy said again, this time more shrilly.

The boy leapt into the air, far higher than was normal, and landed on the animal's back. He tugged desperately at the net, terror plain on his face, then drew up a tendril of water and simply sliced through it. Due wanted to protest the waste of a perfectly good net, but held his tongue.

"Appa! Appa! Appa!" the boy was screaming. He reached down and slapped the dead animal's face, tugged at its ears, its eyelids. "Appa!"

"No. No no no no no." The boy sat up, his eyes disbelieving. "No NO NO! Y-you… you killed him! How could you?"

"Uh, sorry?" offered Due. "Didn't know he was yours. You can have some a' the meat if you want…"

"HOW COULD YOU?" the boy roared. A wind was whipping around through the usually still air, and the water beneath the skiff was trembling.

"Aang…" said the girl in blue, and made as if to step off the root.

A strange light began emanating from the boy, shining from his eyes and the arrow mark on his head. Due herd splashing behind him, as Tho returned to the skiff. "What in tarnation…?"

Then the world exploded into wind and water, a twister tearing itself into existence in front of them. "Oh!" gasped Tho, then said nothing more as the twister expanded outward, slamming into the two hunters with incredible force. The water lifted off the ground, turned into ice, and whirled, shredding everything it touched.

* * *

A soft mist filled the air, which wasn't unusual for the Foggy Swamp. Stranger were the nearby trees, which had been knocked down and torn up as though by a powerful typhoon. Standing in the shallow water were a boy and a girl, her arms around him as he sobbed.

"Why?" he cried out, tears running down his face. "Why?"

Looking at the devastation around them, Katara had no reply.

* * *

**A/N**: This will have a second part.


	3. Appa pt 2: Without A Flying Bison

**Disclaimer**: You better be glad Avatar isn't mine. It would probably end up like this…

**A/N**: A continuation from last chapter. What would have happened without Appa?

_Walking stinks! How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?_

-Aang

**

* * *

Without A Flying Bison**

"Sokka."

"What?" Sokka looked up from his stew, peering at Katara across the campfire.

"Sokka, can I see the map?"

"Oh, the map? Oh, sure, just a second." Sokka swung his pack over his shoulder and ruffled through it for a moment before emerging with a rather worn-looking piece of paper. He handed it to his sister. "Here you go."

Katara examined it for a moment in the firelight. She pursed her lips. "Sokka… do you know where we're going?"

Sokka paused. "…Yes."

"Well?"

"… We're going to Kyoshi Island."

Katara's eyes widened. "We're going to _Kyoshi?_"

"Yes. It's a safe place, and it will let us regroup and figure out what to do next."

"Sokka, we need to find an earthbending teacher for Aang. And Kyoshi isn't exactly known for having a lot of earthbenders."

"Well, there are a few villages along the way that could have somebody. We can't just go traipsing randomly all over the place anymore. We have to be practical."

"But Sokka, we _know_ where we can find earthbenders. And it's not that far…"

"Oh?" Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

"Haru's village."

"Katara, are you kidding? Haru's village is _deep_ in Fire Nation territory. We'd have to go north again, backtrack over all the ground we've covered already, pass Omashu, and hope that nobody finds us along the way. Not gonna happen."

"But…"

"I don't care how much you want to see Haru. That's hundreds of miles away, and there are plenty of good earthbenders around here."

"Well, maybe I don't care how much you want to see Suki!"

Sokka's eyes narrowed. "This has nothing to do with Suki."

"Then why are you so set on going to Kyoshi Island?"

Sokka sighed and shot a look to his right before turning back to Katara, his voice lowered. "We need a boat."

"Oh." Katara glanced to the spot Sokka had looked at, then back at her brother. "I don't think we can afford a boat."

"Well, they might give one to us in Kyoshi. They like us there."

"And if they don't?"

"Then we'll have to get a job. Or sell…" his eyes flicked quickly to Katara's neck and then away. "…something."

Katara didn't miss the look. "_Sokka!_ How… how could you even think about that? We are _not_ selling mom's necklace for a _boat_! You know it's the only thing that–"

"The only thing that reminds you of home?" came a dull voice. The two Water Tribe siblings looked over hesitantly at the spot they had been avoiding. Aang looked up at them with hollow eyes. "It's the only thing that reminds you of the people you used to love, right? The way life used to be."

Katara's face filled with pity. "Aang…"

"We do need a boat," spoke up Sokka. "Especially now that we don't have A–" Katara make a short cutting motion with her hand. "… a way to get around. We can't walk across the whole Earth Kingdom."

"Aang," said Katara hesitantly. "Sokka's not trying to… replace Appa. We just need some kind of transportation."

"I get it," said Aang. "We need a boat."

"But the point is kind of moot anyway," Sokka pointed out. "We can't afford a boat. We're pretty much on a bare budget here."

"There's a village not far from here," said Katara, pointing at the map. "We could get jobs."

"All right then!" said Sokka, smiling gamely. "Jobs it is!"

* * *

The village was very small, only a huddle of huts really, surrounded by fields of millet and soybeans and bordered by a stream. Women working the fields looked up as the weary travelers trudged in, and children in the streets peered at them curiously. Many of the houses looked as though they had been very recently patched up, and some still had scorch marks and holes in their roofs.

"Notice anything?" muttered Sokka to Katara as they walked towards the center of town, followed by stares. "Or more like the lack of anything?"

"Yes," said Katara. "No men. Just like at home."

Eventually, after wandering for a bit, they decided to ask one of the town's inhabitants if there was an inn in town. They were pointed towards the town's western edge.

But when the trio came within view of their destination, they froze in their tracks. There were Komodo rhinos hitched in front of the inn.

Aang's grip on his staff tightened, and Katara's hand found its way to her water skin.

"Come on," said Sokka quietly. "Maybe if we leave now, they won't notice."

"No," said Aang, and, to his friends' surprise, walked right up to the rhinos.

One rhino turned towards Aang and snorted. "Easy now," said Aang, holding out his hand. "It's okay."

"Aang!" whispered Sokka harshly, looking warily at the rhino. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Kind of," admitted Aang. "I used to ride them with Kuzon, but those weren't quite so… um… mean."

The Komodo rhino looked at Aang with a small, beady eye. Aang cautiously reached out and patted it on the head. It grunted, and Aang fumbled with the knot tying it to the post.

"Aang," said Sokka. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea. I mean, the Fire Nation people in there are kind of going to notice that you stole their rhino."

Aang gritted his teeth. "I know, and I know stealing is wrong. But we don't have a choice. We'll never get anywhere without something, and we can't afford a boat, and Katara will have to sell her necklace, and…" he sighed. "We just need to. Come on."

Aang jumped onto the rhino's back, and the rhino snorted and turned in a circle. "Whoa, there!" cried Aang. "Hang on!"

Eventually, Aang found the reins, and the rhino stopped circling. "Come on," he said again. "There's room for all three of us."

The rhino turned its horned head at the gaping Katara and Sokka, and it made a grunting sound low in its throat. "You really mean it," said Katara. She shook her head, then climbed on.

"Oh, this is such a bad idea," groaned Sokka, but he got on the rhino anyway.

Aang swished the reins, and the rhino galloped off, leaving the village behind.

* * *

"No! It's them! They're back!"

"Run! Run!"

"Hide the children!"

"Um," said Aang, looking down from atop the rhino's back. This was different.

"Are they running from _us_?" asked Katara, her brow furrowed.

"Do you see anyone else?" replied Sokka sarcastically.

Aang frowned. "It's probably a misunderstanding." He slid over the side of the saddle and held his arms out, palms up, towards the cowering villagers. "Hey, don't be scared. We're not Fire Nation."

"You're… not?" came a quavering voice. "You're not one of the… Rough Rhinos?"

Aang turned his head towards the speaker. "No! In fact, I'm the Avatar. I'm here to help."

"The Avatar?" The white-clad people slowly emerged from behind doors and alleyways, staring. Then, the fear on their faces transformed, very quickly, into rage.

"The Avatar is allied with the Rough Rhinos!"

"He's come to finish us off!"

"Get him!"

"Huh?" gasped Aang, and the mob rushed at him. Hands were grabbing him from all over, pulling him down. "Help!" he cried.

"Aang!" shouted Katara, and she jumped off the rhino, which was pacing back and forth and snorting. She uncorked her water and whipped it at the people surrounding Aang, pushing them away. Sokka unsheathed his boomerang, then seemed to think better of it and scooted forward to grab the rhino's reins.

"Katara!" he shouted. "Get out of the way!"

Snapping the reins, Sokka urged the rhino towards the crowd of people swarming around Aang, aiming slightly to the right of center. Katara leapt out of the way as the rhino hit the crowd, scattering them as they suddenly realized that there was a rhino in their midst. Some didn't get out of the way in time, and Sokka tried not to look at them as they quickly disappeared under the rhino's clawed feet.

Seeing a flash of yellow, Sokka reached down and pulled up a battered-looking but alive Aang. Heaving the Avatar into the saddle, he called out to Katara, who came running. She climbed into the saddle, and Sokka urged the rhino into a run, dodging houses and people as he went.

They left Chin Town as quickly as they came.

* * *

"I think we should name it."

"Name what?"

"The rhino." Sokka tilted his head at their mount, which was sleeping at the base of the tree they had tied it to for the night.

"If you want to name it, you can name it." Katara went back to mending Aang's clothes, which had become damaged by the mob.

"Hey, Aang? Do you want to name the rhino? Since you… picked it out?"

Aang looked up from petting Momo. "It probably already has a name. We just don't know it." He sighed. "I bet its owners really miss it."

"Sure. Right. Because Fire Nation soldiers are known for their close attachments to their animals. They eat them, you know."

Aang looked stricken. "They do?"

"Yup. Remember the time we went to that Fire Festival? Well, one of the things they were selling were _Komodo Sausages_. I didn't get any, but I bet they're tasty."

"That's awful. I couldn't imagine eating…" A look of pain crossed his face, and he turned his face away. "Never mind."

Katara shot Sokka a glare, and Sokka looked back pleadingly. "Give me a break! I didn't say anything!"

"Aang doesn't need to talk about _eating animals,_ okay, Sokka? He's very sensitive about–"

"I'm fine, Katara." Aang looked back at the Water Tribe siblings, a blank expression on his face. He stood up. "I'm sorry. I've been bringing all of us down, and what we really need to focus on is finding an earthbending teacher. No more moping around."

Katara looked relieved. "Oh, good. We'll do that."

Later that night, as the coals of the fire smoldered and the three friends slept, four hulking forms crashed out of the bushes, heavy, clawed feet compacting the ground.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka woke up to the sight of Komodo Rhinos on all sides, ridden by heavily armed soldiers. Aang was on his feet the fastest, practically leaping out of his blankets. He sent a blast of air at their shadowed attackers, and was answered with a blast of fire, illuminating the soldiers. One rhino, Aang noticed as he blocked the fire blast, was carrying two.

Katara and Sokka were not as quick, and as a harsh voice said "_Freeze, thieving scum,_" they found themselves looking up the blade and long handle of a guan dao. They froze.

Aang jumped over the head of the firebender, a fierce-looking man with feathers in his hair, but the man simply turned around in his saddle, his hands never lowering from firing position. Then, Aang found himself surrounded by three rhinos, each one with a rider. Aang began to rotate in place, not wanting to leave his back facing any of them for long.

The firebender smiled. "Hello, thief. Do you know who we are?" He lit a fire in his hand and held it under his chin, giving Aang a good look at his face.

"No," answered Aang honestly, his fingers itching for his staff. He had left it on the ground.

"We're the Rough Rhinos, the Fire Nation's conquering fist. Did you know you were stealing from us, or were you just _lucky?_"

Aang vaguely remembered the people in Chin Town yelling something about Rough Rhinos, and he swallowed.

"I guess I'm just lucky."

Aang moved his arms in a circle, and directed a powerful air blast at the ground, throwing dust into the air. Then, while the Rough Rhinos coughed, he rushed at where Sokka and Katara were being held. The second man on the guan dao-wielder's rhino, an archer, turned his bow at Aang and fired. Aang twisted to the side, the arrow missing him by hairs, but was summarily hit in the stomach by the butt of the guan dao as the first rider whirled it.

Struggling to catch his breath, Aang felt a rough hand close around the collar of his shirt, and pull him upright. "Mongke," came a deep voice. "Look at this one. Isn't he…?"

The firebender rode up and grabbed Aang's chin, looking into his face. His eyes widened. "He's the Avatar. Tie him up."

Aang shook his head, trying to clear it of fog, and struggled against the soldier's hold. But then a chain was around his wrists, and he couldn't tug away. Mongke looked down at Aang, his eyes gleaming. "It looks like I'm the lucky one, today."

Aang drew in a deep breath and blew it directly at Mongke, with enough force to blow him off his rhino. The rhino snorted and shifted in place nervously as Mongke got back to his feet, his expression furious. "Knock him out!" he snapped. "The Fire Lord wants him alive, but you don't have to be so nice about it!"

Something exploded in the back of Aang's skull, and his head snapped forward, lights flashing and dancing in front of his eyes as the world slid in and out of focus. He groaned and tried to call out to Sokka and Katara, but found that he was unable to.

"What do we do with these two?" asked Kahchi the guan dao wielder, indicating the Water Tribe siblings. The two of them had tried to escape while the Rough Rhinos had been occupied with Aang, but Vachir the archer had quickly pinned them by their clothes with a few well-aimed arrows. Mongke glanced over.

"They're not important. Kill them."

The guan-dao sliced down twice in quick succession.

Vachir, dismounted and walked over to the tied-up rhino, which he patted fondly before mounting. Meanwhile, Kahchi cleaned his blade with a cloth.

"Well," said Mongke, as Vachir rode up, and their prisoner made strange moaning noises. "I think it's been a good night. Let's move out."

The Rough Rhinos rode into the darkness.

* * *

The tank train gleamed under the midday sun, all steel and iron and Fire Nation glory. Inside, Princess Azula was having a good day, and when she was having a good day, it was usually because she had ruined someone else's.

"Princess. We came as soon as we heard you were in the area."

Azula grinned predatorily. She recognized the bound and gagged figure in front of her, even though she had only seen him once before. She was good at remembering faces. After all, she was a people person.

"Colonel Mongke, your actions will not go unrewarded." She leaned forward and gave her sweetest smile. "I shall speak to father about your immediate promotion."

Colonel Mongke's chest swelled. "It is an honor to serve my nation, Princess."

"Of course it is." Princess Azula nodded. "You are dismissed."

The Colonel left, bowing once more, and several royal guardsmen stepped forward to hold the Avatar. Azula came down from her seat, and examined her prize. He wasn't in the best shape. His bald head was battered and bruised, and there were scabbed over cuts in several places.

"Avatar?"

Slowly, the Avatar's eyes opened and focused in on the princess.

Azula smiled and nodded. He was probably concussed, but that was fine. It would make him easier to deal with. She turned to the guards. "Lock him up. I don't want him to see daylight again until we return to the Fire Nation."

The guards took the half-conscious Avatar away, while Azula hummed to herself. She was delighted. In fact, it was all she could do not to laugh out loud. Everything was going perfectly. She would keep the Avatar in the tank train as they tracked her brother, and when they found him… well, they would show him that she had the Avatar, of course, so he could absorb just how miserably he had failed. Then, she would take them both back to the Fire Nation, where the Fire Lord would proclaim her the Crown Princess. It was perfect.

Of course, she did not find her brother for a long time, not until more than a month had passed, not until she rode the Drill triumphantly into Ba Sing Se, not until they caught the Blue Spirit trying to break into the Avatar's cell. But that was fine with her. She ruled the world now, and that was all that mattered.


	4. Something Important

**Disclaimer**: You better be glad Avatar isn't mine. It would probably end up like this…

**A/N**: There are many different ways this 'what if' could have played out, and people have speculated on many of them. This is just one possibility.

_

* * *

Foolish boy. You've chosen your own demise._

-Long Feng

_This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I have been saving it for something important._

-Katara

**Something Important**

"Don't worry, Katara. I'll be fine." Jet looked into the face of the young waterbender and gave her a small, weak smile. Katara looked at him for a moment, expression full of compassion, then closed her eyes and got up to leave. Aang, Toph, and Sokka turned to follow her, when she froze.

"Wait," she breathed. "Wait. I can heal him."

Quickly running back to the fallen Freedom Fighter's side, she knelt down and removed a small vial from within her blouse. "It's water," she said quickly, fumbling with the cork. "From the Spirit Oasis. It might be able to heal you."

The amount of water within was very small, less than a handful, but it glowed with an unearthly light that cast Katara's face in pale blue. All present stared at it, transfixed.

"I- I need…" Katara swallowed nervously. "I need to see… where it hurts. There isn't much, and I need to make sure…" Hesitantly, Katara tried to remove Jet's shirt, but there were too many loops and buckles and layers and patches, and she wasn't quite certain how to even start.

"Stop fooling around!" shouted Smellerbee suddenly, her voice sounding unnaturally loud. Pushing Katara out of the way roughly, she drew her knives and sliced through Jet's tunic, baring his chest. Katara gasped.

Part of Jet's chest was… wrong. As he breathed in and his ribcage expanded, one area seemed to suck in, and as he breathed out, it pushed outwards. The area had already begun to discolor, turning purple and black under the skin. "That's really not good," she said quietly. Sokka was chewing his lip nervously, looking at the door, and Aang's eyes were like saucers. Jet was still watching Katara, his teeth clenched.

"Okay," said Katara. "Okay." She leaned down and pressed the distressingly small quantity of Spirit Water to the damaged area. It absorbed into Jet's skin instantly.

Jet closed his eyes, and sighed.

"Wh-what?" cried Katara. "No!"

Then Jet sat up.

"Jet!" shrieked Smellerbee, her hands flying to her face.

"Jet!" gasped Katara. "Are… are you alright? How do you feel?"

"Actually, I feel fine." Jet looked around at the shocked expressions on his friends' faces, and laughed. "You guys look like you've seen a ghost! I feel great. Never better."

"Oh!" A ripple of relief moved through the group. Katara snuck another peek at Jet's chest. He was breathing normally, and the bruising had faded to a yellowish color. She looked away, but caught Jet's eye, and felt her face go warm.

Jet got to his feet, swaying slightly, and Longshot and Smellerbee quickly positioned themselves under his arms, supporting him. He smiled his thanks. "Let's find Appa and get out of this spirits-forsaken pit."

The others couldn't agree more.

* * *

"It is Dad!" cried Katara, a look of joy on her face. She turned and embraced her brother. "He's alright! He's…"

"And for you…" General How turned to Jet and frowned. "Well, there's a rather large file detailing your stay at Lake Laogai, but nothing else. Would you like it?"

Jet grimaced. "No thanks. The sooner I forget that place, the better."

Smellerbee shrugged. "We didn't expect any letters, anyway. It's not like the others can write."

The group sat down on the Floor of the Grand Secretariat's office to discuss their options. Katara put out the suggestion that they should break the group up, and Aang hesitantly agreed.

"Someone has to stay here with the Earth King and help him plan for the invasion," noted Sokka. He lowered his gaze. "I guess that's me."

"Actually," spoke up Jet. "The Freedom Fighters and I can man the home front if you guys have places to be. We'd be happy to, right guys?" Smellerbee and Longshot nodded their assent. Jet looked at Katara.

"If you want to see your dad, that's great. Nothing should stop you." Katara bit her lip.

"Really?" Sokka's eyes went wide. "Well, thanks Jet. That's really nice of you. You know the plan, right?"

"Of course. Hit the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun, hit them hard, and _don't_ let them get back up."

Sokka, Katara, and Aang stared. Toph, of course, didn't. "Yeah…" said Sokka eventually. "I guess that's about it." He shook his head. "So, it's settled then. Toph will go see her mom, Katara and I will go with Aang to Chameleon Bay, and then Aang will go on to the Eastern Air Temple while you guys stay here to help the Earth King. It'll be great."

"Actually…" The group looked over at Katara, surprised. "Maybe I should stay."

"Katara?" Sokka looked puzzled. "Don't you want to see Dad?"

"No, I do it's just…" Katara fidgeted, her fingers twitching. "Jet's not quite well yet, and I don't think we should… that is… I mean…"

"I'm fine, Katara," said Jet, frowning slightly. "Look, I'm standing, I'm walking…" He took a step forward, limping slightly. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not!"

Katara's friends stared at her, shocked by the outburst. Sokka stood up. "Katara, can I speak to you for a second?"

Sokka took his sister aside. "Okay. What's going on?"

Katara closed her eyes for a moment, then looked at Sokka. "I… I'm not sure we should trust Jet with the plan."

Sokka stared. "You're… not?"

"No." Katara stared at the floor. "His tactics have been a little… odd in the past. I want to make sure that this goes according to plan."

Sokka frowned. "Well... if you really feel that way. But I'm sure it would be… fine…"

Sokka looked over his shoulder at Jet, who was waiting expectantly with the others. "Well, maybe you're right. Maybe he wouldn't be the best one to leave alone with the Earth King." The young warrior sighed. "I'll… I'll give your love to Dad."

"Thank you," said Katara, chewing her lip as they walked back to the others. "That would be great."

* * *

Katara and the Freedom Fighters left the General's war room holding their heads high. The invasion plan looked fantastic. The Fire Nation was going down for sure!

"Say," said Jet suddenly. "Katara, we have some time now before Aang and Sokka get back. How about we hit the town?"

Katara blinked, and held up the scroll detailing the war plans. "Um, we have to take this back to the Earth King, to get his seal."

Jet nodded, and turned to Smellerbee and Longshot. "Hey, would you guys mind taking this to the Earth King?"

The two Freedom Fighters exchanged a look. "Um, sure, Jet," said Smellerbee, furrowing her brow. She turned to leave with her silent companion, looking over her shoulder all the while. Jet watched them go, waving.

"Jet, what's going on?" asked Katara.

"Nothing," replied Jet smoothly. "I just wanted to spend some time with you. We haven't had a moment to ourselves since… well, since Lake Laogai."

"Oh." Something in Katara's stomach fluttered. He wanted to spend time with her? "What… do you want to do?"

"Just talk. Maybe you could show me around the Upper Ring."

Katara gave a small, hesitant smile. "I suppose I could."

* * *

"So that's when we learned to never feed Fire Flakes to Pipsqueak."

Katara laughed. It was a beautiful evening, and she was enjoying herself immensely. Jet looked over at her and grinned. "You ever try Fire Flakes? You wouldn't laugh if you had. Evil stuff."

"I have, actually," smiled Katara. "Once, at this festival, Sokka bought some. He couldn't handle it, so I tried just a taste. Nearly burnt my tongue off."

"What kind of festival was it?"

"Just some Fire Nation thing. We were taking a break. We kind of got in over our heads, though."

Jet nodded understandingly. "Yeah, that can happen."

"Also, Aang tried to save me from a street performer."

"He did?" Jet's prominent eyebrows shot up.

"I actually thought it was kind of sweet, but he was overreacting."

The two fell into silence for a moment. Then Jet said; "He really cares about you."

"…I know."

"Do you care about him?"

Katara looked up in surprise at the question. "Jet, I… of course I care about Aang. We're a _family._"

"But do you… _care_ about him?"

Katara bit her lip. "We… we're not… I mean, he's never… it's not like that." Katara suddenly became aware of just how close Jet was standing. She felt her face begin to turn red.

"I'm not sure… I'm not sure it's a good idea right now. With the war going on…"

"Why not? Katara… when I was down there, in Lake Laogai… I thought I was finished. I realized, you really can die, any time, any day. Why not live, while you're still alive?"

Jet was so close; Katara could feel his breath as he spoke. She swallowed. "I don't know…"

Then Jet leaned in, and kissed her. Just a small peck, on the side of her mouth. A jolt went up her spine, and voices began yammering in her head.

_He kissed me! Oh spirits he kissed me!_

_How dare he? Slap him!_

_But it feels so nice…_

_He hasn't earned that yet!_

_Kiss him back!_

_Hit him back!_

_Kiss him!_

_Hit him!_

"Jet," she said finally, after what felt like far, far too long. "I don't… this isn't right."

"It feels right." Jet pulled his head back and looked at Katara. "Doesn't it feel right to you?"

Katara shook her head. "It does… but it doesn't. I'm sorry."

Jet sighed heavily. "I'm sorry too. If you don't want to go there yet, I won't."

Katara breathed in relief. "Thank you." She took a step back to regain her composure. "You know, we really should get back to the palace."

Jet nodded, and the two walked on in silence, until they noticed a large crowd gathering in front of what a few days before had been an empty building. "What do you think is going on?" wondered Jet.

"I think a new tea house is opening," said Katara. "There's a banner, see? _The Jasmine Dragon._"

"Do you want to check it out? We still have some time."

Katara paused, bringing her hand up to her mouth. Well, it was just a cup of tea. That wouldn't be too bad…

"Alright."

"Uncle! I need two Jasmine, two Green, and two Lychee!"

"I'm brewing as fast as I can!"

There was a pause.

"Lee?"

Before Jet could say anything more, Katara's hand closed around his forearm and tugged, much harder than the Freedom Fighter would have expected. Jet turned to her, and saw that her eyes were wide with fright.

"We've got to get out of here!" she said in a harsh whisper.

"Katara? That was Lee, he..."

"Lee? What are you talking about? That guy in there, the one with the scar? That was _Prince Zuko_ of the _Fire Nation_. He's been chasing us for about…"

"Fire Nation!" shouted Jet. He stood up, his eyes blazing. "He's Fire Nation? I knew it! I…"

Katara shook her head. "Jet, keep it down! I know you want to go in there, but he's really, _really_ dangerous. We have to tell the Earth King."

Jet closed his eyes. His hands were already on the hilts of his hook swords, and he was breathing heavily. "Okay," he said. "Okay, I'll go tell the authorities, like a good little citizen. Is that what you want?"

"_Yes_."

"Fine." Jet cursed under his breath, then took off running with Katara, back to the Earth Palace.

* * *

"Thank goodness you are here Suki," panted Katara, while Jet put a hand to his chest and gasped for breath. "Something terrible is going on. The Fire Nation has infiltrated the city! I just saw Prince Zuko and his uncle. We have to tell the Earth King right away!"

"Oh, don't worry," came a smooth, cold voice. "I'll be sure to let him know."

Katara froze, and stared open-mouthed at the Kyoshi Warrior who stepped forward into the light. Momo leaped off her shoulder with a squeal, and Jet, picking up instantly on the mood, put his hands on the hilts of his swords.

Then, one of the Kyoshi Warriors jumped forward in an aerial tumble, and jabbed Katara's shoulder even as the waterbender was drawing back for a whip. Katara gasped, and fell.

Jet unsheathed his swords and swung at the assailant, who easily twisted under the strike and slid around to Jet's back. Jet whirled his other sword to slash at his enemy, but was suddenly pierced in the hand by something small and sharp.

Jet paused in his swing just long enough for the girl warrior to land two punches along his spine. Muscles seizing uncontrollably, Jet fell to the ground, his swords clattering down on either side.

The third Kyoshi Warrior walked up, reached down, and plucked out the small shiruken embedded in Jet's hand. She looked at it distastefully. "Ew. Earth peasant blood."

"You can clean it later," said the first Kyoshi Warrior. "There are more important things to attend to. Like my dear brother."

Jet felt rough, familiar stone hands close around his arms and lock them together. He growled in frustration. _Not again._

* * *

"If I had my hook swords, I could climb out of here," noted Jet.

"If I had my water, I could heal that cut on your hand," added Katara.

"This isn't helping."

"I guess not." Katara groaned, and rested her head down on her knees. "What do you think they're going to do with us?"

"The Dai Li? They'll probably brainwash us."

"But what about Azula? How did she even get in here?"

"I don't know. I've never seen that firebender before." Jet looked around at the cave they were being kept in. "She probably fooled them with that disguise."

"She fooled the Dai Li?"

"No. The Dai Li are just a bunch of filthy traitors."

Katara got up, and walked over to one of the enormous, glowing crystals growing out of the rock. "At least there's light in here. It reminds me of the Cave of Two Lovers."

"The cave of what?"

There was as rumble, and a shaft of light fell into the cave. "You've got company," said a Dai Li agent, and there was a cry as a human form came tumbling in. It landed in a heap at the bottom of the shaft, then got to its knees, groaning.

"Zuko!" shouted Katara, surprised.

Zuko blinked in surprise. "Jet?"

"Lee…" growled Jet, a look of rage crossing his features. "Or, I should say, _Zuko, Prince _of the_ Fire Nation! _I knew you! I saw right through your little tricks and disguises!"

"You _know_ him?" asked Katara.

"I knew he was Fire Nation. I _knew_ it, but I couldn't prove it!" Jet's hands slapped his belt, futilely searching for his swords.

Zuko got to his feet. "You don't have your weapons," he said, his voice deadly serious. "I suggest you stand down."

Jet seethed, grinding his teeth together. "You're sick!" he snapped. "You're sick, you Fire Nation _scum! _Katara told me all about you! Chasing the Avatar around like some sort of lunatic!"

"You're a terrible person!" added Katara, not wanting to be left out. "Why'd they throw you in here, anyway? Oh wait, let me guess. It's a trap. So when Aang shows up to save us, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches!"

"Shut up! Both of you!" Flames flickered to life in Zuko's hands, and Jet and Katara stepped back. "You know nothing! You know nothing about me, nothing about the Fire Nation, nothing! So leave me alone!"

Jet's hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles white. "Why don't you enlighten us then, eh _Zuko? _Tell us all about the Fire Nation's grand _destiny._ It's nothing I haven't heard before. It's rhino shit."

Jet spat at Zuko's feet, and Zuko trembled with rage, steam rising from his hands.

Sensing that things were getting out of control, Katara put her hand on Jet's shoulder, pulling him back slightly. "Don't fight him," she said, and when Jet shot her an incredulous look, added, "Not now."

Jet glared at Zuko, but turned away, breathing hard. "Come on," he said, fury making his voice snarl. "We shouldn't waste any more of our time talking with _slime._"

Katara and Jet retreated to one side of the cave, while Zuko sequestered himself on the other, glaring at each other. They stayed like that until the wall exploded, revealing a very relieved-looking Iroh and Aang.

"Aang!" shouted Katara, running over to embrace the Avatar. "Aang, I knew you would come!"

Zuko stared in shock. "Uncle, I don't understand," he said, gesturing towards Aang. "What are you doing with the Avatar?"

Aang frowned. "Saving you, that's what!"

Zuko growled and lunged forward, but Iroh held him back. "Zuko," he said. "It's time we talked." The old firebender turned to Aang, Jet, and Katara. "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you."

Katara and Aang quickly left, but Jet stayed a beat longer. "Next time, _Zuko,_" he said, making eye contact with the scarred prince.

"You can bet on it," replied Zuko, and Jet left, following Aang and Katara out.

* * *

"We've got to find Sokka and Toph!" said Katara, as the three of them ran across the floor of the cavern. Suddenly, a blue fireball shot out from behind, blocked just in time by Aang's wall of rock. The wall shattered under the heat, revealing none other than Azula on the other side, fingertips smoking.

Katara acted quickly, drawing water out of the aqueduct and attacking Azula with it. Jet stepped back from the display of power. _No weapons, no swords… I'll have to improvise._

The column of rock Azula was perched on collapsed, showering rock fragments everywhere. Jet's eyes narrowed. _Gotcha._

Azula made a perfect landing between Aang and Katara, pointing one hand at each bender. It was a standoff, the air thick with tension.

Then, Jet picked up a rock, and pitched it at the firebender with all his might.

Azula brought her leg up to kick it out of the air, and seeing an opening, Aang shot a blast of air at the princess, blowing her into the aqueduct with a splash. Aang turned to face the other two. "Come on. Let's get out of here quick, before she…"

"Aang!" shouted Jet. "Look out!"

The stream of red flame was only blocked at the last second by Katara's water shield, and Zuko came charging up behind it with a war cry. The three turned on him, as Azula climbed wetly out of the aqueduct behind them.

Jet cast his eyes around for another rock as the royal siblings squared off with Aang and Katara. But as the fire, air, water and earth began to fly, he realized that he was probably going to get caught in the crossfire. Wisely, he turned to go hide behind a column.

The ground shook and the air filled with steam as the benders fought. Jet picked up a stone, wishing for the hundredth time that he had his swords, but both firebenders were out of throwing range.

_Dammit dammit dammit! _He watched powerlessly as Katara and Aang were tossed about like rag dolls… he hadn't felt so helpless for years… why, why did they take his swords?

Then the wall behind him rent open, and Dai Li agents rushed out, climbing out of myriad holes in the walls. Jet turned around and, with a savage snarl, threw his rock at them.

It was a stupid idea, really. The rock stopped its trajectory and shattered before it even got close to the earthbenders, and then those damn _hands_ were on him _again._ Jet roared every curse he knew, condemning the Dai Li, the Fire Nation, and everyone's mother to the deepest pit in the spirit world. It did little good.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by the enemy, Aang shut the world out. He breathed, put his hands into the mudra of the Thought Chakra, and let the world pass him by.

It was an incredible sight, the light that flooded the room. Jet had never seen anything like it, and from his prone position on the floor, held in place by stone hands, he finally felt in his heart the hope that the Avatar was said to bring.

Then there was the crack of thunder, and the flash of a very different light, and the Avatar fell.

Jet could only watch as Katara caught the falling body, then as the old man jumped in front of her and held off the attacking Dai Li. He could only watch as she lifted herself and an unbearably limp Aang out of the cave on a column of water, feeling as though it was his own heart that had stopped.

"Wait!" he cried, struggling against his bonds as the Dai Li captured the old man. "Wait for me…!"

* * *

Shen Zi was an Earth Cleric at the Temple of Koukai, and he heard it happen. One of his clerical duties was to renew the offerings left in front of the altars, and as he replaced old, stale milk and burnt-out incense with new, he heard a tremendous crash.

Immediately thinking of temple robbers, Shen Zi rushed towards the sound, ready to earthbend into the ground anyone who dared defile the sacred place. But what he found left him speechless.

The mural of the Avatars, the carefully crafted and blessed depiction of Avatars Kazoku, Opari, Jian, Tsetseg, and Kyoshi, was broken. Cracked in so many places Shen Zi could barely count, and with huge chunks of plaster fallen on the ground.

Something was terribly wrong.

Desna was a Water Shaman, and she saw it happen. She was looking out the window at the Stone of Guidance, put in its place and blessed by Avatar Tikani centuries ago. Ever since that one winter's day when the Stone had glowed like a star, more and more pilgrims had made the long trek from the city to the Temple to receive the Stone's blessing. Such things were good omens. She smiled.

Then, with a roar and a crash like a glacier calving, the stone cracked in two, each half falling from its place and tumbling down from the Temple roof. Desna gasped.

Something was horribly wrong.

There were no Air Monks in the Southern Air Temple, so no one saw it happen. But within the inner sanctum, there was a rumble and crash as the many statues of Avatars past crumbled and trembled and fell to pieces, as though the stone bodies were being rent apart by some great, invisible beast.

Something was unspeakably wrong.

* * *

Perched aboard Appa, Katara held back tears as she pressed the water from the cave to the horrible burn on Aang's back. Again and again she tried, but he didn't move, didn't breathe.

Eventually, she began to wail.


	5. Boomerang, Come Back

**Disclaimer**: You better be glad Avatar isn't mine. It would probably end up like this…

_

* * *

Did Boomerang come back?_

-Toph

_No, Suki did!_

-Sokka

**Boomerang Come Back**

"Lieutenant Shian!"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Which ship is that?"

Lieutenant Shian, an elite firebender under the command of Captain Yuzen in Airship Eleven, looked out the window. One of the airships had broken out of formation, and was hovering between the flagship and the rest of the fleet. "I… believe that it is number Fourteen, Sir!"

"Why has it left formation?"

"I do not know, Sir. Mechanical problems, perhaps?"

"If they were having mechanical problems, they would have let out a signal flare, not shot ahead of the fleet." The Captain paused, his expression inscrutable under his helmet. "Keep your eye on them."

It was only a moment later that Lieutenant Shian let out a yell, as the rogue airship turned and began slamming into the other ships, ripping open their air compartments. "Sir! Airship Fourteen is ramming the other ships, Sir!"

"Evasive maneuvers!" snapped the Captain. "We need to-"

The inhabitants of the cockpit were quickly thrown to the ground by a great tremor, as the tattered remnants of Airship Fourteen crashed into Airship Eleven. Getting to his feet, Captain Yuzen ordered Lieutenant Shian to the top of the framework, to assess the damage. Shian saluted, and left.

But when he reached the gas compartments of the airship, Shian was surprised to find a young girl there, looking extremely out of place. He paused. A stowaway? Or a sabotager?

The girl turned and ran, and Shian moved into firing position. "Halt!" he shouted, and when the girl didn't, he fired a roaring blast of flame at her back. She ducked behind a metal column, which began to twist and melt under the heat of Shian's comet-strengthened assault. Advancing as he maintained the fire blast, the lieutenant came forward and reached around the column, seizing the girl. She looked barely of age, with dark gray eyes and short hair. She might have been Fire Nation, but he couldn't be sure.

"Who are you?" Shian demanded. "What are you doing aboard this airship?"

The girl's only response was to grab his helmet and slam it into the partially-melted column. Shian cursed and staggered as the girl took off again. After a few moments, he regained his sense of balance and took off after the mystery girl. As he ran, he reached down and ignited a sheet of flame along the floor, sending it at his opponent's feet. But at the last second, the girl disappeared down a ladder, the fire blasting harmlessly over the opening. He heard a thump, and a yelp.

Rushing to the ladder, Shian looked down to see the girl being held, kicking and writhing, by another soldier.

"Sir," the soldier said. "What do you wish me to do with her?"

Shian looked at the girl, who appeared to be intent on bashing in the soldier's armored kneecap with her heel. He grimaced. "Imprison her in the cabins, and _securely_. We can interrogate her after the mission is over."

The girl glared at Shian with undisguised hatred as she was dragged off. Ignoring her, he turned around to report back to the Captain.

Then, the lieutenant heard a yell, and turned around to see that the girl had somehow slipped free of the soldier's grasp and started running down the hall. He frowned deeply. Enough of this.

The soldier turned to look at Shian for orders, and the lieutenant nodded. He fired at the girl's back, and in the narrow corridor there was nowhere for her to hide.

Shian sighed, looking at the burning, writhing figure in distaste. Well, crisis averted. Some Earth Kingdom rebel getting in wasn't really that much of an issue. The ship could still fly, and that was what mattered.

* * *

Footsteps rang along the catwalk, and Sokka stared at the row of firebenders, fists aimed for him. Toph's hand had become damp with nervous sweat, and slipped from his grasp. At the last second, he caught her fingertips, feeling like his arm was about to be pulled out of its socket.

"I don't think boomerang is coming back, Toph," he said, his voice a mix of resignation and fear. "It looks like this is the end."

Tears welled up in Toph's eyes. She couldn't feel anything but Sokka's pulse, racing, racing…

Then, the benders fired.

The flames were immense, almost white-hot, and engulfed the young warrior entirely. If he screamed, the sound was lost in the roar of the inferno, and his hand reflexively let go.

* * *

Blind.

Blind.

Blind.

No feeling. No sense of mass or texture or volume, no dependable solidness that whispered to her of all its secrets. No stone. No rock. No dirt. Nothing but heaving terror and cold wind and waving limbs and dark emptiness, and the horrible sensation that she had left her stomach back in the airship.

She fell, too breathless to scream.

And the earth took her.

**

* * *

A/N:** This bothers me a lot. How did Suki, who was _unarmed_, take control of an airship full of comet-fueled firebenders? Makes no sense.


	6. I'll Show You Lightning

**Disclaimer**: You better be glad Avatar isn't mine. It would probably end up like this…

_

* * *

There's something off about her, I can't explain it, but she's slipping. And this way, no one else has to get hurt._

-Zuko

**I'll Show You Lightning**

Yes, Azula was slipping. Katara could see it now, in the way she was moving, panting, the crazed expression on her face as she fought. Observing the Agni Kai from the sidelines, dodging gouts of almost unbelievably immense flame, Katara began to feel confident that Zuko would win.

Then, the princess stumbled. She rolled ungracefully across the arena, head over heels, and scraped to a stop on her side. Sensing that the duel might be over, Katara rushed down from the stands. She wasn't entirely sure how an Agni Kai was won, but if the opponent fell down, that should be a clear sign that they'd lost. Besides, she hated watching this. She needed to _act!_

Azula got to her feet quickly, gasping as she turned to face her brother.

"No lightning today?" taunted Zuko, as Katara rushed up behind him. "What's the matter? Afraid I'll redirect it?"

"Oh, I'll show you lightning!" the princess snarled, moving into her lightning kata. The electricity crackled and hissed around her, snapping out from her body in long arcs. Zuko calmed himself, ready to catch the coming bolt.

But the lightning didn't go towards him. It shot out, fast as an eyeblink, to Zuko's right. Seeing the way his sister's eyes flickered, the movement of her arms, Zuko ran at it, arms outstretched.

"No!" he screamed, seeing where the bolt was headed.

Far too late.

The lightning crackled and jumped, and Katara leapt backwards as though she had been launched by a catapult. She was thrown bodily several yards, then collapsed as the lightning faded with a rumble of thunder.

Zuko stumbled forward and rolled, then launched himself at the fallen waterbender. "No, no no no no NO!"

Katara was utterly still when Zuko arrived at her side, her eyes slightly open and unfocused. Zuko reached forward and shook her. "No! No no wake up wake up! Aaarrrrhhhhhh!"

Zuko buried his face in his hands. This wasn't supposed to happen! What was she doing there? Why was she in the arena?

Zuko heard a giggle behind him, which turned into manic, high-pitched laughter. "Oh _dear_, Zuzu," came Azula's voice. "It looks like I missed. Oh well! I'll just have to try again!"

Zuko felt sick. This was his fault. All his fault. This couldn't be happening. Why was this happening?

He didn't have long to think about it. There was a whoosh of flame, and Zuko whirled to block it, breathing heavily. Grinning, Azula leapt back into the fray, both fists afire. The flames moved in waves as the siblings fought, behaving more like water than fire, forming constantly-shifting seas of red and blue.

Zuko turned and shot his leg out in a flaming kick at his sister, who dodged it easily before rocketing upward to come at her brother from above. Zuko ran to the side, and suddenly realized that Azula had landed near Katara. Azula must have seen the way his eyes flickered to the side, because instead of immediately firing at Zuko, she stepped behind Katara's limp form.

"Sorry about your new girlfriend," sneered the princess. "But it's good to see you have been able to move on. I'll be sure to send word to Mai about how faithful you were."

Zuko let out an inarticulate cry of rage, aiming a fire blast directly for Azula. The princess laughed and dodged, skimming over the ground at her opponent. She fired a wave of flame at Zuko, and he let it flow around him. Moving his arms in a circle, the fire prince directed the blue fire behind his back and sent it back at his sister, who blocked the flame contemptuously. "You can't beat me, Zuzu!" she taunted. "You've always been second best, second rate! And you will never, ever catch up!"

Zuko panted. She was right. She knew everything, every one of his tricks. Except…

Zuko turned, and ran. Appa couldn't have gone far, just over the roof, unless he'd been spooked by the fire…

"Come back here, you _COWARD!_" shrieked Azula. "You useless worm! Finish this!"

Zuko panted as he ran through the halls of the buildings surround the courtyard. He looked around as he came out the other side. Where in the Spirit World was Appa?

Azula emerged from the building close behind, her arms up and ready to fire. She squinted. "Come on out, Zuzu. You can't escape me. I'm going to end you, just like-"

"Come and try."

Zuko stood tall, a Dao sword in each hand and a flying bison standing behind. Why he'd even left them with Appa, he had no idea.

Azula grinned savagely. "I think I will."

Zuko twisted, bringing his swords around in a wide slash. Fire channeled down them, streaming towards Azula. Somewhat surprised, she parted the strike, then formed a flame wheel and sent it towards her brother. He slashed it in two, then charged, sending in blast after blast from his swords. The two spun in a deadly dance, flames licking at the sky, setting the nearby buildings aflame. Zuko's strikes were more precise, more powerful when extended by his swords, and Azula, to her surprise, felt herself beginning to falter.

"You're not allowed to use weapons in an Agni Kai!" she snapped.

"You're not allowed to attack bystanders in an Agni Kai!" roared Zuko in reply. He rushed toward Azula, and slashed.

The end came so fast, Zuko barely had time to think. He saw an opening and darted in, slicing with his sword at Azula's torso. Somehow, the last thing he expected was for the strike to connect.

Then he was standing up, looking at Azula convulsing on the ground. There was blood on his blade. "Oh, Agni," he whispered.

"Ahhhh! Ah, ahhhhhhAAAHHHHHahhhh!" moaned Azula, clutching at herself.

Zuko dropped his swords. "Azula! Azula, stop… don't move. I'll get help."

"D-don't, don't ttttouch me!" Azula managed to gasp, flecks of red coming from her mouth. "Don't tnnnnnnngggggghhh."

Zuko backed away, horrified by the sight in front of him. "I'm going to see to Katara," he said. "I'll get the Fire Sages to help you."

Azula spat something inarticulate, blood trickling from between her lips. She clutched at her stomach, shuddering.

"I'll get the Fire Sages," repeated Zuko, his voice shaking, and ran back into the courtyard.

* * *

The giant airship soared triumphantly back to the Fire Nation capital, one tired but victorious Avatar, one injured Water Tribesman, one relieved Kyoshi Warrior, one blind earthbender, and one defeated Phoenix King inside. But when they landed outside the palace, only a lone Fire Sage came to greet them. Immediately, Aang tensed. Something was wrong.

"You are the Avatar?" asked the Fire Sage.

"Yes. I'm the Avatar. Where are Zuko and Katara?"

"Prince Zuko has given orders to welcome you into the city," said the Fire Sage, shifting his eyes from side to side. "He wishes to speak with you."

"Well, where's Katara?" asked Sokka pointedly. "What's going on here?"

"I'm afraid don't know anyone named Katara," said the Fire Sage. "Please come with me to speak to the Prince."

Aang paused, then nodded his assent.

"Is this a trap?" wondered Suki. "What if… what it it's Azula in there?"

"I'm not afraid of Azula," said Aang simply. "You guys stay out here and make sure Ozai doesn't go anywhere."

"Well, judging by his vibrations, he won't be going anywhere for a while," pointed out Toph. "Snoozles tied him up pretty good."

"Yeah," added Sokka. "I want to go see Katara."

"Someone should make sure Ozai doesn't get away," said Aang. "He's mostly harmless, but still."

"Fine," sighed Toph "I'll stay. Tell Mopey and Sugar Queen I said hi."

Zuko stood in a burnt and blackened plaza, surrounded by nervous-looking Fire Sages. He looked up as Avatar and the two warriors approached. "Aang," he said, his voice sounding oddly strained. There was a pause. "Did you…?"

"I have Ozai in the airship," said Aang, understanding Zuko immediately. "He won't be hurting anyone ever again."

Zuko took a deep breath. "That's… good."

"Why so down, Zuko?" asked Sokka, his voice unseemly cheerful. "We won! Smile!"

Zuko didn't look at Sokka. He looked directly at Aang, and said, his voice hollow: "They're dead."

* * *

Grief blocks the Air Chakra. One should never allow oneself to be swallowed by grief, and instead find healing in the everlasting life force that surrounds us all. Loss can rend one apart, but love never really dies, but rather is reborn, much like the Avatar itself.

Aang tried to remember this as he watched at the sun set over Ba Sing Se. It was a beautiful sight, and behind him, within the Jasmine Dragon, were his friends, drinking tea in a moment of quiet before the manifold responsibilities of peace building caught up with them. There was Sokka, embracing Suki with one arm as he tried to paint a picture of the others. There was Toph, enjoying listening to Iroh playing the Sungi horn. There was Zuko, brewing the tea and speaking to Mai in hushed tones. They were all there.

But…

Aang could almost feel the hole in Zuko, gaping like a bleeding wound. Sokka sported a similar wound, as did all of them, to varying degrees. It was not something that would quickly heal.

Aang wrapped his fingers around his prayer amulet, thinking of Gyatso, of Guru Pathik. Would he still feel this way if his Thought Chakra was clear?

Very, very quietly, Aang began to weep.


	7. Just Barely

**Disclaimer**: You better be glad Avatar isn't mine. It would probably end up like this…

**A/N:** Well readers, this will probably be the last update for a while, pending new inspiration. If any of you lovelies have suggestions for more 'bad ends' you'd like to see, please leave them in a review! I'm always open to new ideas!

_

* * *

Oh, don't worry. You won't be killed like they were. See, if you die, you'll just be reborn, and the Fire Nation will have to begin its search for the Avatar all over again. So I'll keep you alive. But just barely._

-Zhao

**Just Barely**

The masked man slowly backed away from the great iron doors of the Pohuai Stronghold, swords crossed at the Avatar's throat. From the top of the watchtower, Admiral Zhao watched them go.

"Do you have a clear shot?"

The Yu Yan archer inclined his head a fraction, sighting along the bow.

"Knock out the thief, and incapacitate the Avatar" intoned Zhao calmly. "I'll deliver them to the Fire Lord, together."

The Yu Yan fired once, twice, in perfect rhythm. He knew the shots were perfect, even before they hit their targets. They always were.

One arrow, blunt-headed, sliced through the air and connected with the Blue Spirit's mask. He fell backwards, almost gracefully, and collapsed, sprawled out on the ground. Aang turned around and stared at his rescuer- kidnapper, stunned, uncertain what to do.

Then, the second arrow, sharp-tipped, sliced into his leg.

The Avatar cried out and fell to his knees. He felt as though he had been bludgeoned in the back of his shin, pain ripping up the limb like some animal was gnawing on it. He turned his head and looked at the arrow in disbelief. It was buried deep in his calf, the fabric of his pants rapidly staining dark. He reached down and gave the shaft an experimental tug, then gasped and went rigid.

Tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes as he wrapped his hands around his leg above the wound. Spirits, it hurt!

He tried to get to his feet, to hobble away, but the pain lancing up his leg whenever he tried to move it quickly put an end to that. He dropped to his knees again, dread building in his stomach. He couldn't run.

Then the soldiers arrived, circling around and pointing their spears inward. Aang was dragged to his feet, and he cried out again as he was forced to put weight on his injured leg.

The soldiers approached the fallen, masked man, and lifted him up. One of them removed his mask, and Aang's eyes widened. He recognized that face. But… it couldn't be…

But it was, and then he was being half force-marched, half dragged back to the Stronghold, with no care at all given to his injury. At every step, every jostle, he howled with agony. Spirits, couldn't they at least take the arrow out?

Zhao looked on from the watchtower as the Avatar and the thief were brought safely back inside. He smiled, congratulating himself for his quick thinking. Now, how to deal with the Avatar? The boy apparently had more allies than had been expected. He would have to be neutralized, and soon.

* * *

No food, no water. How long had it been? Aang knew that a person could survive a long time without food. Sometimes, particularly spiritual (or maybe just plain masochistic) monks would push fasting to the limits of what Aang would consider sanity. But no water? You couldn't survive long without drinking, and even on fast days pure water was allowed. It looked like they really were going to kill him, out of pure neglect. He managed a quiet moan, and even that exhausted him.

Aang moved his thick tongue into the corners of his mouth, searching for any drop of fluid he had missed. But there was none to be found. He was no longer kept chained to showy pillars in a huge room. Now, he had a tiny cell, and was manacled directly to the wall. Even his head was secured in place. His body ached from the uncomfortable position. He yearned to move, to stretch. How long had it been?

There was a creak, and footsteps. Time for the watch to change so soon? But then the door to his cell opened, and in walked several guards. To Aang's surprise, they unlocked his bonds, and grabbed him. They had to grab him, because by that point he was so weak that he could barely stand.

He was carried through several winding corridors and down several sets of stairs. He was eventually brought into a dark room, laid on a table, and strapped down by his hands, feet, shoulders, thighs, and neck. The guards left.

Aang blinked in the complete blackness. What was going on? Had he just been moved to a new cell? He was slightly disappointed. The last one at least had a bit of light.

Then the door to the dark room opened, revealing the silhouette of none other than the Admiral himself.

Aang tried to glare, but his head was pounding and he felt nauseous from dehydration, so all he managed was a slight squint.

"Hello, Avatar. How are you feeling today?" Zhao surveyed his prisoner with a smirk, then stood aside and allowed another man to walk in, broad-shouldered and grim-faced. "I hope you are comfortable."

Aang didn't reply. He didn't want to risk losing any precious moisture out of his mouth, and was pretty sure that even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to get any words past his parched lips.

The strange man flexed his arm, and a fire lit in a coal furnace next to the table Aang was strapped to. Laying by the furnace were what looked like a pair of gardening shears, a poker, and a square metal plate attached to a handle. As the man tended the fire, Zhao continued.

"I apologize for your lack of food. I assure you that starting today you will receive daily rations. We wouldn't want you to die on us."

Aang frowned inwardly. This made no sense. What were they doing starving him, if they didn't want him dead? He closed his eyes, shutting Zhao and the whole world out. His thoughts felt sluggish, and besides, he couldn't imagine that the tyrant had anything important to say.

"I'll admit, Avatar, that I was rather impressed with your escape attempt. You have… _heh_… friends in high places."

Aang let out a groan. He was talking about Zuko. Aang wondered what had happened to him. They'd probably let him go, seeing as he was their prince, but why had he done it in the first place?

"I can't imagine how the Fire Lord will react to the treachery of his firstborn, but it will no doubt be dramatic. And, of course, in my favor. So I really have to thank you, Avatar. You have given me the best present I could have ever asked for."

Aang opened his eyes, then closed them again. He wished he could just sleep. Why wouldn't Zhao let him sleep?

"Of course, that won't change what's going to happen now."

Aang heard the crackling of fire, and opened his eyes. The unknown man was rotating the garden shears in the fire, letting them heat up. They began to turn red. Then, in a horrible instant, Aang knew.

"No." His voice was a whispery rasp, so quiet he could barely hear it himself. Zhao only smiled.

"Don't. _Don't_. Please." Aang tried to sit up, but only managed to chafe his skin in his shackles. "Don't."

"I would have left this particular procedure for when you arrived in the Fire Nation. But your rebelliousness has forced my hand. After this, you won't be a threat anymore, and that is what is important."

The man took the garden shears, red-hot, out of the fire, and began moving towards Aang. His heart pounded, and a surprising burst of energy shot through his veins. He began to struggle in earnest, pulling desperately at his bonds.

The shears opened and pressed on either side of his right elbow, so close that the heat coming off of them singed his skin. "NO!" he screamed, trying with exponentially increasing panic to pull his arm away. But he couldn't move, couldn't move, couldn't _move_, and oh spirits oh spirits help oh spirits.

The shears closed with a terrible, wet crunch.

"NO NO NGGGGAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGHHH!"

Zhao nodded grimly as the interrogator removed the Avatar's arm, laying it down on a small table next to the rack. The Avatar was writhing as best as he could in his bonds, arching his back, bulging his eyes, and twisting his head from side to side.

The interrogator leaned over, lining up the shears with the left arm. Then, with a strong jerk and a professional twist, he sliced the second forearm off, and placed it next to the first.

"He's bleeding too much," noted Zhao. "You didn't cauterize it enough. Don't let him bleed to death."

The interrogator shot his superior a look, as if to say: _Don't tell me how to do my job_. But he grabbed the metal plate, heated it, and pressed it to the wounds he had inflicted. There was a hiss, and steam began to rise from the stumps as the wounds cauterized. By this point, the Avatar had stopped begging, and was simply making animal-like noises, his eyes rolling wildly.

Removing the legs was slightly more difficult, and the interrogator had to tug on the shears rather hard to get them off. But eventually, he did manage it, slicing through muscle, cartilage, and bone, and placed the Avatar's legs next to his arms. He quickly moved to cauterize the wounds, then turned back to Zhao. "Is that all you needed, Sir?" he asked.

Zhao leaned over to look at the Avatar. He wasn't screaming anymore. His eyes were tightly shut and his mouth wide open, panting, his lips trembling and moving. He looked like he was beyond words, but Zhao spoke to him anyway. "Open your eyes, Avatar."

Aang didn't respond.

Zhao reached down and pulled back the airbender's eyelid with his thumb. The eyes were rolled back in his head, but they fixed their pupils on Zhao's face. The Admiral smiled. "We're almost done, Avatar. I just thought you might want to look at something for the last time."

Zhao turned back to the interrogator. "The eyes too," he commanded.

The interrogator nodded, and picked up the sharp poker, heating it in the furnace. Aang's eyes had closed again, and he was making odd, sobbing noises. The interrogator leaned over, and moved the poker closer, closer…

* * *

Time passed indeterminately. Days, weeks? What did it matter? The floor of his cell was the same hard steel, the tube they thrust into his mouth was the same, the cold gruel and water they poured down his throat were the same.

He could move a little, once the pain had subsided a bit, scooting along on his stumps. The cell was ten scoots long and five scoots wide, all metal, and had a straw-stuffed mattress in one corner. Sometimes, he entertained himself by imagining how one could kill oneself with a straw-stuffed mattress. But without any hands, it was just idle speculation.

He thought about his friends. Were they alive? Had they died from their illness? He hoped they had survived, and hadn't waited too long for him. He hoped that Sokka had found his father and Katara had gone on to the Northern Water Tribe without him. He imagined her in the great city of ice, training to become a master waterbender. It was a far more pleasant daydream than imagining her cold body left alone in the ruins, abandoned eventually even by Appa, who he hoped would have found someplace safe to fly.

He thought about the past. He remembered good times with Kuzon and Bumi and all his friends from all the nations. He remembered penguin sledding, and the elephant koi, and the hogmonkeys, and bison polo, and all the other animals he had ridden. He remembered Gyatso. He tried not to think about the day he had run away.

Sometimes, he thought fearfully about the future. He didn't like these thoughts. He wondered if they would ever slip up, if they would forget to feed him and just let him fade away. But somehow he doubted it. The voice of despair, that cold snarl that had grown ever louder since he had been captured, told him that this was his life, and would be his life for however long he lived, which would probably be a long time. He wasn't getting his limbs and eyes back by some spirit-miracle. This was it. Done.

Most of the time, he meditated, slumped against the wall, listening to his breathing. He wanted desperately to contact Roku, but no sign of his past life ever came. Aang was on his own.

* * *

"My Lord. I have brought you the Avatar, and the Traitor."

Zhao's voice, unbearably smug, came from somewhere behind Aang, and to his left. This room had a metal floor, just like his cell, but was much warmer. He could hear flames crackling nearby. A fireplace?

"So, this is the Avatar," came a deep, raspy voice. "This is the boy you couldn't capture? This is the pathetic creature you resorted to treachery for?"

"Father." This was Zuko's voice, coming from Aang's right. He sounded desperate. "Everything I did, I did to earn your approval. Everything I did was out of loyalty to you!"

"Loyalty to me," returned the voice of the Fire Lord, almost mockingly. "Loyalty to me by undermining my goals? Loyalty to me by instigating petty rivalries with my officers?"

"Father, please…"

"Father." This was a new voice, coming from the same direction as the Fire Lord's, but smooth, cultured, and female. "I do not think that the _traitor_ acted out of loyalty. It appears to me that he acted only out of selfish desire to see his own goals advanced, to the detriment of the Fire Nation."

"Of course he did. He has never been able to think of the _greater good._"

There was a slight rustle as Zuko slumped.

"This is my judgment," continued the Fire Lord. "The traitor will be executed by fire tomorrow morning, at sunrise. The Avatar will be taken to the prison tower for life."

Aang heard Zuko's breath catch, then release.

"Admiral Zhao, I shall consider your promotion to the High Council. All are dismissed."

Aang felt someone grab his shoulders, and he knew he was going to be dragged away again.

"You won't win, Ozai," he managed to croak, more to convince himself than from any source of confidence. "You won't win."

Aang heard the female laugh, and the Fire Lord chuckle. "Far from it, little Avatar," he said. "I already have."


	8. They Call Him the Face Stealer

**Disclaimer: **You better be glad Avatar isn't mine. It would probably end up like this…

_

* * *

Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world._

-Aang

_Show no fear. Show no emotion at all._

-Aang

**They Call Him the Face Stealer**

"Tui and La, your Moon and Ocean, have always circled each other in an eternal dance." Koh reared up and turned away from Aang, gently weaving his serpentine body from side to side. "They balance each other. Push and Pull. Life and Death. Good and Evil. Yin and Yang."

Aang perked up slightly at that last. Yin and Yang… two opposing but balancing forces, symbolized by a circle in black and white… _that looks exactly like the koi at the spirit oasis!_

"The koi fish!" he cried triumphantly, breaking out into a wide smile.

But Koh's smile was wider, and the emptiness, the impossible void of that all-encompassing grin, was the last thing the young Avatar saw.

* * *

Appa flew over the endless tundra, wind whipping at his long, ice-encrusted fur. The blizzard had broken up, but had covered the ground with a uniform blanket of white, sparkling in the light of the full moon.

"The snow covered their tracks," Sokka growled in frustration. "We have nothing to follow."

"Well, we can't just give up!" cried Katara. "We _have_ to find him!"

"Well, we won't find him by flying in circles all night," pointed out Sokka. "Maybe we should go back to the city for backup."

Yue put her hand on Katara's shoulder consolingly. "We can get a team of polar beardogs to track them," she said. "They will be able to do a much better job then we can."

Katara bit her lip, twisting her braid with both hands. "I don't know. Zuko could get away while we're backtracking."

"Frankly, Katara?" came Sokka's tense voice. "I think he's getting away now."

Katara swallowed thickly. "All right," she said. "Let's go."

They were approaching the city when the moon unexpectedly turned blood red. Yue moaned.

Sokka immediately rushed to her side. "Yue…?"

"I feel faint…"

"What's wrong with the moon?" wondered Katara.

"The moon… the Moon gave me my life." Yue looked up into Sokka's eyes and told the story of her birth.

"But, what does that have to do with this?"

"I think something is very wrong with the Moon Spirit," said Yue, pain showing in her eyes. "I can feel it screaming."

Then, just as they crested the wall of the city, everything plunged into dark.

* * *

Zhao could not contain his glee. He tossed the dead fish from one hand to the other contemptuously, then held it at arm's length. "I think I'll have this stuffed and mounted," he mused. "It will make a lovely addition to my mantelpiece."

The admiral smiled at the empty sky, soaking in its vastness. The moon was gone. He looked down thoughtfully at the remaining fish, which was swimming erratically around the edges of the pool. Should he kill that one too, just to make a clean job of it?

"Zhao!"

Zhao frowned and looked up at the hooded figure that was running up to the oasis. "What have you done? _What have you done_?"

"Hello Iroh," said Zhao simply. "I have done what no other person has ever done. I have destroyed the Water Tribe. _I have killed the moon._ But I don't suppose you are here to congratulate me, are you?"

"You fool! You've brought destruction on us all! Do you even _realize_ the consequences of your actions?"

"Iroh, we have nothing to fear from spirits." Zhao gave the retired general a condescending smile. "Why, this one didn't even fight back."

"You are mistaken, Zhao. But even if you had nothing to fear from spirits, you would still need to reckon with me!" Iroh leapt forward to engage Zhao, who tucked the dead fish away before bringing his hands into a defensive position.

But before the fight had even begun, a deep groan cut through the air. Zhao and Iroh looked up, barely making out the silhouette of something _big_ hanging in the air. And when Iroh looked back, Zhao was gone.

* * *

Why was it so dark? Wasn't the moon supposed to be full tonight? Zuko held a firelit hand in front of him as he trudged towards what he hoped was the shore. If he could make it there, he would work his way along the coast back to the Armada. Back to Uncle. Zuko was weary and tired, and had lost the feeling in his toes. The still- unconscious Avatar, slung over his shoulder, didn't help matters.

The prince groaned. He desperately wanted to rest a moment, put down the Avatar and lie in the new snow. But he couldn't shake the feeling that if he did, he would never get back up. So, he trudged on, sinking to his thighs with every step and fighting to pull his boots out again.

Perhaps he could be forgiven, several hours later, for falling to his knees and putting the Avatar down, for the snow was after all so _very_ soft, and felt by that point almost warm. And perhaps he could be forgiven for lying down with a sigh, for after all, he had been walking parallel to the coast for miles…

A scavenging gopherbear found them both the next morning, as perfect and still and cold as statues. The Avatar's arrows had finally stopped glowing.

* * *

It was the beginning of the end.

Without its waterbenders, the Northern Water Tribe was helpless, and it was not long before the red silk of the Fire Nation banner was draped over its icy walls. Many of the survivors fled to the tiny villages of the south pole, which at least were largely ignored by the Fire Nation.

Without the Avatar, the Fire Nation had only the failing Earth Kingdom to contend with, and it crushed both Omashu and Ba Sing Se, in time. On the day of Sozen's Comet, the remainder of the Earth Kingdom was cowed into submission, and the Phoenix King took the throne.

But spirits care little for such politics.

On the night the moon died, the tide receded in some parts of the world, falling suddenly back and leaving fish flopping on shore. And in some parts of the world the tide advanced, lifting boats abruptly. It was the last time the tides would ever shift.

Fishing villages were distraught, as millennia of knowledge of the sea were rendered useless. Fish no longer came to breed. Crabs no longer spawned. Once-thriving towns were pressed into poverty, and people starved.

The women noticed the other change, a more subtle one written in their bodies, in their blood. And perhaps they didn't understand it. Perhaps they were even grateful for it.

But when newlyweds turned out to be infertile, and once- thriving families found themselves unexpectedly barren, the people began to panic. Prayers were given to the spirits, and sacrifices. Herbalists consulted their tomes, and scholars scratched their heads. No cure was found, and slowly, ever so slowly, the words and efforts and thoughts of mankind came to a creeping end.

"Foolish mortals," whispered Koh to the Avatar with his own lips. "They live for but a moment, and think it is forever. They do not understand forever. Forever is not a long time. It is timeless. It is beyond sense, beyond human comprehension. And yet they think they can grasp it, can hold it, can outlast it!" Koh laughed, and his coils around the Avatar tightened.

* * *

The fish was, as it turned out, mounted on Zhao's wall, in his estate near the Fire Nation Capital. It was a talking piece for years.

**

* * *

A/N**: The moon is associated with fertility in many mythologies.


	9. These Are Just Plants

**Disclaimer**: You better be glad Avatar isn't mine. It would probably end up like this…

**A/N:** What is this, _Avatar_ meets_ Blair Witch Project?_ I don't know. Don't ask me, I'm just the author…

Thanks for the suggestion, Ogro : )

_

* * *

There's something ominous about that place._

-Katara

**These Are Just Plants**

"I think we should build a fire," said Sokka hurriedly. He immediately began chopping at a nearby tree.

"Sokka," said Aang, holding out his hands placatingly. "The longer we're here the more I think you shouldn't be doing that."

"No, I asked the swamp," replied the Water Tribe boy. "It said this was fine. Right, swamp?" He grabbed a nearby root and shook it back and forth, speaking in a high-pitched voice. "No problem, Sokka!" Then, with a swipe of his machete, he cut it in two.

Aang and Katara exchanged a look as Sokka searched around for more wood to cut. "Hey," Sokka's voice came from behind a tree. "What's this?"

The two benders ran over to see what Sokka had found. There, set against the trunk of the tree was a simple stone platform topped with an elaborate wooden carving, depicting what appeared to be a stylized snake engraved with numerous characters.

Sokka picked it up and weighed it in his hands thoughtfully before presenting it to his companions. "So what do you think it is?"

"It looks like a shrine," observed Katara, coming forward to look at the platform. "Hey! I think there are coins in here!"

She was right. Stuffed into crevices between the rocks were Earth Kingdom coins of gold, silver, and copper. Sokka seemed quite excited about the find, but Aang hung back. "They're offerings," he explained. "I think they were being given to this spirit, whoever he is." Aang peered at the characters carved into the idol. "It says he's the Dream Serpent," he read. "And it says 'Let the souls rest in dream forever.'"

Katara stared in awe, but Sokka looked unimpressed. "Well," he said. "Mr. Dream Serpent is about to make a donation to our journey." He put down the carving and began to pry the coins out of the shrine's stones.

"Uh, Sokka?" said Aang. "I think that's a really, really bad idea."

"Why? Is the," he waved his fingers in the air vaguely "Dreeeeeeam Serpent going to come get me because I took his money?"

"I dunno," said Aang. "He might."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Aang, these people, whoever they are, are just _throwing_ their money away! And all we have are Water Tribe coins, and not everyone takes them. Besides," he straightened and walked over to Aang, throwing a friendly arm over his shoulder. "If you think about it, they sacrificed their cash to the spirit in hope of getting a blessing, right? Well, you're the Avatar. So helping you will help save the world, and that's a big blessing. So it's no problem."

"I guess…"

"I'm not so sure," said Katara. "Aang knows this spirit stuff better than we do, and if the spirit wants the coins…"

"Seriously, Katara, what is a spirit going to do with coins? Is there a discount at the spirit market? We could make much better use of these," Sokka went back to prying the coins out. "I mean, there must be a dozen gold pieces in here! Think of all the food that could buy!"

Katara looked at Aang. The avatar smiled sheepishly "Well, since it's going to saving the world, I guess it's okay."

They joined Sokka in prying coins from the stones.

* * *

After escaping the killer vines, Katara wandered unhappily through the shin-deep muck, calling out for Aang and Sokka. Where were they?

The young waterbender looked up and saw to her surprise what looked like a woman standing in a small clearing not far from her. Katara instantly brightened. Another human being!

"Hello?" she called. "Hello! Can you help me?" But as she got closer and the woman came more into focus, something about her shape began to tug at Katara's memories. The way she tied her hair, the slope of her shoulders… not only was it Water Tribe, but it looked like…

"Mom?" said Katara, hardly believing it. But it looked like… it had to be… it _was_… "Mom!"

Katara ran forward, her heart pounding, tears of joy leaking from her eyes. She grabbed the woman's shoulder and turned her around, aching to see her face. "I can't believe-"

"What can't you believe, my love?"

Katara shrieked. It was her mother. Oh, spirits, it was her mother… looking just as she had the last time Katara had seen her, burnt to death on the floor.

"I'm so happy to see you Katara, my beautiful Katara. Look how you've _grown_."

The skin on her mother's face crinkled and fell off as she spoke, exposing red, bloody flesh underneath. Kya pulled burnt-off lips over her white, white teeth in a hideous parody of a smile. Her eyes, cracked and dull, turned towards her daughter and she extended a blackened hand.

"Give me a hug."

Katara recoiled and moaned. She felt sick to her stomach. Her mother was _dead._ The dead shouldn't walk, shouldn't talk to you!

"What's the matter, sweetie? Aren't you glad to see me?"

Tears poured down Katara's face as the burnt corpse brushed her cheek with her fingertips, leaving smears of soot. "How ungrateful you are. I died for _you_."

Katara trembled, flinching away from her mother's touch.

"Would you rather have died instead?" Suddenly fire was everywhere, consuming her clothes, her skin, her flesh… Katara screamed, and though she felt no pain she could see her body burning away, fat sizzling and muscles charring. She had to put it out! She was burning burning burning oh _spirits_ she was going to die!

Seized by animalistic terror, Katara ran, crashing through vegetation and mud, her vision full of nothing but smoke and fire. Then there was a coolness at her feet… water! She dove into it headfirst, and oh sprits she was still burning!

Katara swam deeper and deeper, struggling to put out the flames. Deeper and deeper she swam, until her lungs burned and her head throbbed, and still deeper…

* * *

"Aang!" screamed Sokka as he cut his way through the thick vines.

"Stupid swamp!" he cursed. "Dumb, ugly vines! Katara!" Suddenly, a vine he was leaning on snapped, and he fell face first into the stinking mud.

Groaning, Sokka looked up, and saw a white, floating figure hanging in a shaft of light. "Hello?" he called.

Walking closer, he realized that he recognized the figure. "Yue?" he gasped. But it couldn't be. "This is just a trick of the light," he said, but his voice betrayed his conviction. "Swamp gas. I… hit my head running away last night." He turned away, unwilling to face the hallucination. "I'm going crazy." He braced himself and turned back. But she was still there.

As he approached, Yue spoke, her voice seeming to echo from the other side of a long tunnel. "You didn't protect me."

Sokka rubbed his eyes, and she was gone. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned around only to see that she was only inches from his nose. He screamed and fell back.

"I trusted you, Sokka. We all trusted you. Why did you let me die?"

"I… I had no choice. Yue, I…"

"I could have loved you, Sokka."

The breath seemed to catch in the water tribe boy's throat. She… could have loved him?

"We could have been so happy together." The ghostly form of Yue floated down by Sokka's side and put a gentle, cool hand on his cheek. The distance between them closed, and Sokka gasped.

"Didn't you want this?" Yue's voice now whispered in his ear. All Sokka could see was white, and he wasn't sure what he was looking at anymore. "Didn't you want me?"

The answer seemed to come out of a deep part of him, a part he didn't even realize he had. "Yes," came a choked voice Sokka didn't recognize as his own. "I did."

"Then WHY DID YOU THROW ME AWAY?" Suddenly the mistlike body pressing to him wasn't light and cool anymore, but heavy and hot, hot, burning hot! Hands holding his back in a tender caress dug in their nails, and Sokka writhed in their grip.

"Aaah! Yue!"

"DID I MEAN THAT LITTLE TO YOU?" He was being pressed down, sinking into the mud, he couldn't move…

And as his head slipped under the water, his last sensation was of regret.

* * *

"Katara!" called Aang, using the air waves to increase the volume of his yells. "Appa!" Then, on a tree branch, he saw a humanlike form. "Hello?"

As he got closer, he saw it was a child, a girl, wearing a yellow and orange robe. "No…" he breathed. "It can't be…"

The air nomad child giggled. "Who are you?" called out Aang, hardly daring to hope. But the girl only laughed and jumped off the tree with preternatural agility. Aang's heart leapt, and he was gripped with an incredible loneliness and longing. "Hey! Come back!"

Aang chased the girl through the trees, yet every time he drew close she seemed to be somewhere behind him. She leapt up branches and whirled in the air, laughing as she did, and Aang matched her airbending move for move. "Please! I'm an airbender too!"

Suddenly he emerged in a clearing. The girl stood in the middle, smiling. Then, she spoke. "The sisters of the Eastern Air Temple welcome you," she said, her eyes distant.

"The Eastern Air Temple?" echoed Aang. "Is that where you're from?" He looked around, and felt a shock go down his spine as he realized he was surrounded by human bones.

"Welcome, Aang. Let me show you to your room. Gyatso told us you were coming."

"Gyatso?" Aang gaped. "But… he's dead…"

"Why is he dead?" The girl looked at Aang severely. "Was he sick? Did he fall off his bison?" Aang backed up as her face twisted, distorted. "Or was he _betrayed by an ungrateful student?_"

"No…" Aang whispered earnestly. "I didn't betray him…"

"You left him! When he needed you!" The girl seemed to tower over him, and all he could see of her face was her arrow, which seemed to point directly at him. "You left him to die!"

"I didn't know!" cried Aang. "How was I supposed to know?"

"You ran away!" screamed the girl. "You ran away when the world needed you the most! All their blood is on your hands!"

And yes, blood was on Aang's hands, and his arms, and legs, and face, still-warm and soaking into his clothes. The bones around him were moving, rustling, forming into bodies, clothing themselves with bleeding, burnt flesh…

Aang screamed and ran, blindly, terrified. He ran until he slipped on the wet moss and collapsed. The blood was still on him.

_Wash it off, wash it off!_ Aang scrubbed his hands in the swamp water, scratched at his skin, but that only made the blood spread, turn darker. He tried to rub them on his clothes, but they were bloody too, the whole _world_ was bloody, soaked with the blood of the dead.

"STOP! STOP! STOP!" Aang roared into the trees. But it didn't stop.

He curled into a ball, weeping, and his hand brushed something burning hot hung around his belt. His eyes flew open. The coins…!

He lifted the coin purse, which was soaked in blood, dripping and weeping with it and boiling hot to the touch. Then, he flung it into the water. "Have it!"

Instantly, it stopped. The blood was gone, and Aang was left gasping for breath. He closed his eyes to compose himself, trembling. He felt like crawling into a hole and never coming out again.

Eventually, Aang looked up. He was sitting on a root by a gargantuan tree, and floating in the water nearby were two bodies, clad in blue...

Katara and Sokka both had drowned in six inches of water.


	10. The Pain Of Losing

**Disclaimer**: You better be glad Avatar isn't mine. It would probably end up like this…

**A/N:** For the most excellent Hotspur.

_

* * *

~Dad's going to kill you!~ Really. He is._

-Azula

**The Pain of Losing**

Azula and Zuko peeked out from behind the curtain as Ozai began to speak.

"Father, you must have realized as I have, that with Lu Ten gone, Iroh's bloodline has ended. After his son's death, my brother abandoned the siege at Ba Sing Se, and who knows when he will return home? But I am here, father, and my children are alive."

Azulon's expression did not change. "Say what it is you want."

Ozai stood. "Father, revoke Iroh's birthright. I am your humble servant, here to serve you and our nation. Use me."

Azulon leaned forward, his eyes wide with shock. He pointed a finger at the prince. "You dare suggest I betray Iroh? My first born? Directly after the demise of his only beloved son? I think Iroh has suffered enough. But you, your punishment has scarcely begun!"

The flames surrounding the Fire Lord's throne flared, raising to the ceiling. Zuko trembled in his boots at the sight of his grandfather's wrath. But he didn't run.

Azulon was now standing, one hand raised imperiously. "Your punishment shall fit your crime, Ozai. You shall know the pain of losing a first born son, by sacrificing your own!"

A cry escaped Zuko's lips as he heard this pronouncement. Azulon's eyes flickered to the curtains, and Ozai turned his head to look back. "Come out," said the Fire Lord.

Azula stepped out immediately, her face a mask of contriteness, and Zuko followed after a moment of hesitation. He looked at his father's face, but Ozai's expression was inscrutable.

"Well, Ozai?" boomed Azulon. "Your children are here. They stand before you. Will you obey your Fire Lord?"

Ozai closed his eyes, just for a moment, then spoke. "Stand aside, Azula."

Azula chanced a glance at Azulon's solemn face, and her father's blank one, then turned to go with a "Yes, Father."

Ozai was looking at Zuko, his golden eyes burning into his son's. "D-dad?" asked Zuko. "What's going on?"

"Obey me, Ozai."

Zuko cringed under his father's stare. "No, you… you're not gonna-"

But as Ozai moved his hands in an arc, the very real danger registered to Zuko. He turned and ran for the door with all the speed he could muster.

The lightning was faster.

For a split second, Zuko was frozen in place, captured for an eternal moment, a silhouette against the light that transfixed him. And as the thunder faded, he fell.

Azula blinked the blazing afterimage out of her eyes and looked at her father in awe. It was the first time the young girl had comprehended the power of lightning, and even on the other side of the room the hairs on her arms stood straight up. She felt a _hunger_ awaken inside of her, consuming her with desire to feel that power again.

But she knew better than to say anything. Ozai stood utterly still, and for a moment an expression he had never worn before passed over his face. Then he took Azula by the arm, and led her away.

* * *

"Azula, wake up. Wake up."

Azula blinked blearily up at the form above her. "Mooooom, it's late!"

"Please, Azula. Get up and pack your things immediately."

Catching on to the mood, Azula sat up and looked at her mother. She was wearing a traveling cloak, and her hair was no longer in its traditional topknot. "Where are you going?"

"We're leaving."

Azula's eyes widened. "We? Why should I leave?"

"It isn't safe for us here anymore. Ozai's gone mad." It was difficult to tell, but Azula thought that her mother's voice was cracking a little.

"Why? Dad isn't going to kill _me. _It's perfectly safe."

Ursa said nothing for a moment. She took a deep breath. "It isn't safe for anyone here. We need to go." She turned to open Azula's cabinet and began stuffing clothes into a traveling bag.

"I'm not going," said Azula simply.

Ursa turned around, and her face showed a ferocity that Azula had never seen. "This is _not_ negotiable, Azula. We are leaving and _that is final_."

For once in her life cowed, Azula allowed her mother to drag her along through the halls of the palace. The two of them wound their way out, then through the city and down to the docks. Azula heard her mother speak to the dockmaster for some time, discussing passage rates and false monikers. Finally, they boarded a ship and left.

Possibilities lost ran through Azula's head as she watched her home disappear over the horizon. She swore to herself there that she wouldn't let this destroy her. She would be back. And when she was, she would be welcomed with honor.

_

* * *

Six years pass_

After resting a while on the ice flow, Appa finally seemed ready to fly again. "Yip yip!" called Aang, and the bison took off, moving the air under his body with his tail. Aang smiled. It was good to be flying again.

But still, as the two of them gained height, Aang looked back over his shoulder at the distant Water Tribe village that had expelled him. They had been nice people, and he felt bad that he had made them angry and possibly put them in danger. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to live in fear of another nation. It must be terrible.

Aang watched as the white and blue landscape passed beneath him. Then, with a glance at the sun for positioning, he set a course for home.

It was empty.

He'd known things would be different, hadn't he? The faces he saw would be different, and the trees would be bigger… but not _this_. Not just weeds and dust and wind, howling through the peaks like a lonely badgerwolf. Where had everyone gone? Why had they left?

Aang walked aimlessly around the temple, not quite knowing what he was looking for. Some sign of life, or at least a clue as to where the Air Nomads had gone. But all he found were crumbling buildings and, near the airball court, a single Fire Nation helmet, sitting alone like a crimson beacon.

The young airbender held the helmet in his hands. The Fire Nation had been here. Outsiders, outside _soldiers_ had been to the temple. _It doesn't mean they're all dead,_ he told himself, fighting back tears. _Air Nomads_ _move_. _That's why we're nomads. _He put down the helmet and turned his back on it, steeling himself. _And I'm going to find them._

* * *

In the village of Tenpai there was an inn. It was not the most posh resort the Fire Nation territories had to offer, nor was it run-down. By all accounts, it was completely ordinary. A nice woman named Yin Mi ran the place, with the help of her teenage daughter Zhira.

Zhira helped her mother with most chores, whether it was making the guests' rooms, cooking in the kitchen, or serving food. She was like hired help, but needed no pay. And she always did her work with a smile. Several young men in the village had their eyes on her, only waiting for her to turn sixteen.

It was only in the dark of night and away from prying eyes when Zhira would catch the little sparrowmice, setting clever traps that never killed, only crushed their legs so they could not run. Then, with her teeth bared and eyes ablaze, Zhira would burn them alive, roasting them from the tail to the head and listening to them squeal. She hid the bones and ashes under a rock, then went back to her work, smiling.

Them, at least, she had power over.

* * *

Aang consulted his map. He was traveling northeast, towards the Eastern Air Temple, where he hoped he might find some answers. He figured he could hug the coast of the southern Earth Kingdom until he got to Paurva Island, home of the temple.

But that was a long way from here, and Appa was getting tired of flying over the ocean. Aang estimated that they were only a short flight from a small island, and decided that they would stop there for a rest, and maybe for a ride or two on the elephant koi he knew lived in the area.

The airbender's reception on the island, however, was far from friendly. Appa was spotted as he came in for a landing, and Aang didn't even get a chance to ride the koi before women in green dresses and face paint fell upon him, tying him up and blindfolding him with frightening efficiency.

"Stop! Stop!" he cried. "I- I'm not from the Fire Nation!"

"Well, you're definitely foreign," said one of the women. "And you don't look like any Water Tribe trader I've ever seen."

"I'm an Air Nomad," explained Aang. "Didn't you see my bison?"

Aang heard a snort. "An Air Nomad! How ridiculous. Trying to impersonate one will do you no good on Kyoshi, spy."

"Kyoshi?" echoed Aang. That name... "I think I know Kyoshi."

"You _know_ Kyoshi? What a liar he is! Let's throw him to the Unagi, Suki."

"Hmm… it's tempting."

Aang gulped. "No, really! I know Kyoshi… because I'm the Avatar."

It came out in a rush. Aang had never told anyone outside the temple before, and he was uncertain what effect it would have. But, for some strange reason, saying it made him feel lighter, like he was admitting to some great transgression.

But the woman only laughed. "You really expect us to believe that? The Avatar died a century ago!"

"I mean it. I am. Take off my blindfold and I'll show you."

The women did not reply, but started dragging him off. When they finally came to a stop, they tied Aang to a pole and left him there. The next voice he heard was a man's.

"So, this is the Fire Nation spy?"

"Yes. He claimed to be an Air Nomad _and_ the Avatar."

"But I am!" insisted Aang. "Really!"

Finally, someone took off the blindfold. Aang saw he was being held in the middle of a village circle, surrounded by the costumed women and an old man dressed in blue. He looked at them imploringly. "I _am_ an Air Nomad, and the Avatar! Just let me prove it to you!"

The old man frowned. "Throw him to the Unagi."

Aang took a deep breath, sucking in an immense quantity of air, and blew it at the ground. The force was enough to rip him free of his bonds and carry him to the top of the pole, which he now could see was a statue of a woman dressed like the girls who had attacked him. He knew immediately that it was Avatar Kyoshi.

"Do you believe me now?" he called from the top of the statue. The Kyoshi Islanders stared, shocked.

"It _is_ him," said the old man in disbelief. "It is the Avatar."

* * *

Tales spread quickly through the rumor mill, covering miles faster, it sometimes seems, than the wind itself. Some had a kernel of truth, such as the vicious story of Prince Ozai's disinherited, unfaithful wife, running off with what had to be a bastard daughter to find her paramour. But some were just tales, and rumors of the return of the mythical Avatar were as common as dirt. Of course Zhira had heard this one, heard the stories of a mysterious boy with arrow tattoos who traveled about on a flying bison (or was it a buffalo?), avoiding Fire military encampments and moving steadily east through the dry mountains of the south.

But it was something to the quality and detail of this particular rumor that caught Zhira's attention. Merchants swore that the traders they dealt with had cousins who owned land this Avatar had personally flown over. The Fire Lords had been searching for the Avatar for a century. If it were true, how grateful would the Fire Lord be, even to a child everyone thought was illegitimate?

Zhira stood in her tiny room up in the attic of the manor-come-traveler's inn, looking out the window. The last time she'd gone into town, a young man by the name of Aiko had asked her whether she had a boyfriend, and when she had ignored him insisted that she allow him to accompany her home. He was not a bad looking boy, objectively speaking, but he was a carpenter's son, and Zhira felt less than no attraction to him. She allowed him to carry her purchases, like a servant, but when he tried to put his arm over her shoulder she proceeded to twist his wrist with such force that he yelped.

Sixteen. The number hung like a buzzard-wasp over her head. There was a time when she would have celebrated her coming of age with delight, would have accepted thousands of gifts from all manner of nobles and important figures, would have had a new ship, a set of dragon scale armor, silk robes so exquisite wearing them was like feeling a lover's caress. Now, she might get a cotton shirt from her mother, or a ceramic bead bracelet. And a carpenter's son, knocking at her door. The thought was disgusting, and Zhira felt the flames inside of her flare.

She left that night on a stolen ostrich horse, heading south.

* * *

They were always so happy to see him. They would give him food and a place to sleep, and clean hay for Appa. They were so close to the southern front, and most of the villages were bereft of grown men. Shrines to the dead were everywhere. It was sobering, but Aang kept an optimistic outlook, and when people asked him for his blessing for their son, their husband, their father, he was happy to give it.

One night, as Aang flew over the fields of millet and wheat, he was fired upon. He hadn't seen the army encampment, and after a few terrifying minutes of dodging fireballs he turned around, back towards the village he had left. There, he saw that the town was under full Earth Military occupation. The colonel there spoke to Aang, and informed him that he would be welcomed in the Earth Army.

"Thank you for the offer," replied Aang. "But I'm going to the Eastern Air Temple."

The colonel frowned. "All the land between here and the sea is under dispute. I cannot guarantee your safety, Avatar. The army can provide protection for you. You are very important."

Aang squirmed. He had to find his people, but it was clear that the world was in trouble. But still, how much use could he be to the army? He was an airbending master, true, but he certainly wasn't a soldier! He was twelve, for spirit's sakes!

"Avatar Aang, there is little in the Eastern Air Temple that would concern you. Since the slaughter of the Air Nomads, no one has-"

"Slaughter?" Aang's eyes bulged. "What do you mean?"

The Colonel looked at Aang in surprise. "At the dawn of the war, the Fire Nation laid siege to the Air Temples and killed all within. They hunted down the Air Nomads without mercy, and took no prisoners. Until we heard rumor of you, well, we assumed they were gone."

To Aang, each word felt like a blow to the head. He had still thought, still hoped that somewhere, in the Eastern Air Temple, so far from the Fire Nation, that they had survived. Or somewhere else, deep in the interior of the Earth Kingdom, in the mountains or the deserts, the nomads still roamed in their caravans, bison bellowing and lemurs trailing behind like the tail on a kite. The memories of it were so fresh to Aang, he could hardly conceive of the time and cruelty needed to turn it all to ashes.

"No," he said. "I don't believe it."

Without another word, Aang opened his glider and flew over to Appa. There must be a way around the Fire Nation encampment. He would find it, and he would leave. The Eastern Temple was waiting.

* * *

As Zhira traveled further south, the rumors became more detailed. Here, there were people who had claimed to have actually seen and spoken with the Avatar. She rode her ostrich horse to exhaustion every day following the trail, but never seemed to get any nearer.

Life was hard. Zhira had never been taught to hunt, but learned to set bushfires and shoot down the animals that fled from the flames. But she was in Earth Kingdom territory now, and knew better to do it anywhere near civilization. As a result, she soon grew as lean and hungry as her ostrich horse.

When she reached the southern front, she killed and ate the ostrich horse and continued on foot, hoping to avoid the entrenched Earth Kingdom soldiers. When they caught her, she lied effortlessly, claiming to be from one of the captured Earth Kingdom towns, trying to return home. She told them she was confident the Earth Army would recapture her village, and they sent her on her way with a warning to stay out of the battleground until the fighting was over.

When she snuck by and reached the Fire Army, she fed them a different story, that she had wanted to join the Army since she was a child, and didn't they have space for an untrained, nonbending girl, oh please? They laughed at her and sent her on her way.

But when Zhira reached the sea, there was no one to lie to, no one to fool but herself.

* * *

The Eastern Air Temple was just as bleak and empty as the Southern one. Aang wandered the halls, but there was nothing there, nothing at all. The Avatar walked back to his bison and embraced him.

"You remember, don't you, Appa? You remember when this place was alive." Appa turned a massive eye on his master and lowed softly.

Without warning, Aang broke down, sobbing into the great animal's fur with unburdened grief. His people, his friends, Gyatso… He'd abandoned them all to die. The guilt and shame welled up, and swept him away.

All he was aware of was the ringing in his ears and the feeling of being lost in unbearable light, without thought, without restraint. Only grief and guilt and rage at the world for being so unspeakably cruel. He saw nothing, felt nothing, _was_ nothing but sheer, uncontrolled power…

And… a voice?

"Aang! Aang! You do not have to do this!"

Who was that?

"Your feelings are only natural, young Avatar. You have lost much, far too much for one of your age. But you must forgive yourself. Allow the past to be the past, and let the departed rest. Your anger cannot change what has happened. We must move _forward."_

It sounded like Gyatso…

"To grieve is natural. But do not let your loss taint your view of the world."

Aang felt his feet touch the ground.

"Please, Aang. Let it flow away. Be at peace."

A hand was on his shoulder, and suddenly Aang felt weak. The power left, and he collapsed to his knees with a groan.

"What happened?" he mumbled.

"It is called the Avatar State. Though I believe that it is not your first time in such a condition."

Aang looked up into the face of an old, dark-skinned man with lively eyes and an impressive white beard. "Who are you?"

"My name, young Avatar," the man replied. "Is Guru Pathik."

* * *

Aang stayed at the temple for some time, resting and recuperating. The Guru told him that he must abandon his quest to regain the past, and instead turn his energies toward learning the elements before the return of Sozen's Comet, which Aang had not even realized existed. Pathik made him promise to return to the temple when he was done, at which point he would teach him to control all four elements within the Avatar State.

There was a part of Aang that didn't want to leave. The temple was dead, yes, but it was also safe, was _familiar_. So much of the world had changed, had become dangerous… and he would have to do it all by himself. But then he would put his hand on Appa's flank, and he knew he wasn't alone.

* * *

There were no ferries to Paurva Island, and only fishing camps inhabited its rocky shores. So Zhira gritted her teeth and stowed away with the nets, nothing to accompany her but the knowledge of how close she was.

When she arrived, Zhira climbed a precipice carved with ancient handholds and walked the tops of cliffs that dropped into the sea, unmoved by the striking surroundings. Hungry, cold, and alone, she searched.

Aang was taking Appa for an evening flyabout when he saw the first human being on the island apart from the Guru and himself. It was a teenage girl dressed in plain peasant garb, gaunt and unkempt and picking her way along a ridge. She started waving her hands in the air, obviously trying to signal him.

Aang brought Appa down. "Hello," he said. "Who are you? What are you doing all the way up here?"

The girl looked at Aang, then at Appa, her warm brown eyes flicking back and forth. "Are you the Avatar?" she finally said breathlessly.

"Uh, yeah. I am."

For a moment, an odd light flashed in the girl's eyes. Then, "Oh thank the spirits!" The girl groaned, and looked to be on the verge of collapse. "I've been lost out here for days!"

Aang's eyes widened. "Really? That's awful!"

The girl nodded, looking miserable. "It's been terrible. I didn't think I'd find anyone else up here! My fishing boat left me behind."

Aang's heart filled with pity. "You can come stay at the temple tonight, if you want. I can take you back to the mainland tomorrow."

"Oh, thank you, Avatar! I owe you my life."

"It's no problem. I should be leaving soon anyway." The two of them climbed aboard Appa, and Aang turned to his passenger. "By the way, what's your name?"

The girl smiled. "Call me Rai."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Rai. Yip yip!"

Appa took off, bearing the two of them back to the temple. Rai lay back as they flew, baring her teeth at the stars.

* * *

"Who is your friend?" asked Guru Pathik when they returned.

"Her name is Rai," replied Aang. "Her fishing boat abandoned her here."

The Guru looked at the girl sidelong as she set up her sleeping cot. "I do not mean to chastise you for kindness toward strangers, Aang. But there is something odd about her chakras. They are clouded."

Aang frowned. "Should I talk to her about it?"

"I merely caution you, Aang. No lies are as damaging as the ones we tell ourselves, but the lies we tell others can be harmful as well."

"Um…" Aang furrowed his eyebrows and frowned. "Thanks, Guru Pathik. I'll remember that."

He went to bed in one of the temple's many empty rooms, Pathik's warning bouncing around inside his head.

* * *

Rai, who of course was Zhira, sat patiently outside the Avatar's room, waiting. She had not been sleeping, and had merely stuffed her mattress with pillows. It was one of the oldest tricks in the book, true, but it was a good one. She chewed over her plan as she waited for the Avatar to fall asleep.

She would not use fire. Fire Lord Azulon would want proof, and a fire would destroy the proof. She fingered the knife she had stolen from the temple's kitchens. It was so _messy_, her plan, but necessary, and best of all, _quick_. She didn't want to give him an opportunity to fight back.

Rai, who was Zhira, held her breath and listened. The Avatar's breathing had grown slow and deep. He was sleeping.

She stood.

"This is not what you need, child."

Rai, who was Zhira, whirled around, knife at the ready. The old man was there, his eyes burning her with guilt.

"I do not know who you are, child, or what it is you desire. But killing the Avatar will not get you what you seek."

"What do you know?" spat Rai, who was Zhira. "You stupid old coot. Get out of my way!"

The old man held out his hands. "So much hate in your heart! Child, what the world needs is forgiveness. Not more wrongs."

"Shut up!" hissed Rai, who was Zhira. Her fist ignited, and she shot a fire blast at the old man. It hit directly, and he crumpled.

Perhaps hearing the noise, Aang opened the door of his room and peaked out. "Guru Pathik? Is that– huuuaagghh!"

Rai, who was Zhira, stared at her bloodied knife as the Avatar folded over. Something was fluttering in her, aching in her. Something that made her eyes widen, her stomach churn. She squashed it, and fell upon the gasping, struggling Avatar, knife flashing.

When the deed was done, she took the blanket from the Avatar's cot to make a crude bag. She put her proof in it, then shouldered the surprisingly heavy pack and took it outside, past the curled form of the old man and out to the courtyard.

Then Rai, who was Zhira, who was Azula, turned her face to the dark sky, closed her eyes, and thought: _Home…_


	11. Congratulations, Katara

**Disclaimer:** You better be glad Avatar isn't mine. It would probably end up like this….

**A/N**: Welcome back.

* * *

_I passed years developing the skills that would lead to my escape._

_-_Hama

**Congratulations, Katara**

Hama met Katara at sundown, a live Komodo chicken slung over her shoulder. Katara, understandably, was puzzled.

"You'll see in a bit," said the old woman. "I promise you, tonight's lesson will be very exciting."

* * *

"Ah, _spirits_!"

The cave was full of corpses, chained upright against the walls. Rotting, putrid. Men and women both. The smell was indescribable.

Aang looked around, horrified. Sokka grimaced. Toph made a face, and said: "Aw, aw man. They're dead, aren't they?"

There was the slight tinkling of a chain being moved, and Aang nearly jumped out of his skin.

The only living prisoner in the cave was a man, his hair ragged and dull, his cheekbones prominent, his eyes sunken. His clothes hung loose around him.

The man couldn't support himself, and when Toph set him free, he slumped forward onto the young girl without protest.

"We need to get help," said Sokka, and Aang nodded numbly. He couldn't imagine what kind of spirit would lock people in a cave to die like this.

The three of them gently picked up the man and hurried out of the cave. They needed to find a healer, and fast.

* * *

"Can you feel the power the full moon brings?" asked Hama, and she breathed in deeply. "For generations, it has blessed waterbenders with its glow, allowing us to do incredible things." Hama put down the trussed komodo chicken in the clearing. "Tonight, I'm going to show you what some of these things are."

Katara stared at the chicken, uncomprehending. "Hama, I don't understand."

"Watch carefully, Katara. What I'm about to show you, I discovered in that wretched Fire Nation prison." Hama untied the chicken, and the bird hopped up, shaking its feathers out and clucking. "The guards were always careful to keep any water away from us. They piped in dry air, and had us suspended away from the ground. Before giving us any water, they would bind our hands and feet so we couldn't bend. Any sign of trouble was met with cruel retribution."

Hama gestured towards the chicken, which was now strutting and pecking around. "And yet, each month, I felt the full moon enriching me with its energy. There had to be something I could do to escape. Then I realized that where there is life, there is water. Watch."

Hama stood straight, and held her hands out, fingers splayed and stiff. It didn't look like any waterbending position Katara had ever seen.

The chicken froze.

"Look. Remember how I showed you the water in the plants? Animals are the same. But animals fight back, which is why we can only do this under the full moon's light."

The chicken let out a squawk, and Hama moved her hands, scooting the chicken forward.

"Hama?"

"I call it 'bloodbending.' I bend the water in another body. You can do it to anything." Hama smiled. "Or anyone."

Katara's eyes widened. "You mean, you do it to people?"

"This is how I escaped. First, I practiced with the rats that scurried across the floor of my cage. Then, I was ready for the men. It took years, but one full moon night, my cell was unlocked by the very guards assigned to keep me in. And I walked free, for the first time in years." Hama closed her eyes a moment, overcome with the emotion of the memory. But she didn't lower her hands.

Katara looked uneasy. "But, to reach inside someone and control them? I don't know if I want that kind of power."

"The power exists, Katara. You cannot deny that it is a part of you. A part of every waterbender. And it is our most powerful weapon against the Fire Nation. With this, _no_ one can stop you."

Katara shied away. "I'm not sure…"

"And if they had captured you, Katara? What would you have done?" Hama's eyes narrowed. "Would you have made use of anything you could to escape? Or would you have died, _like_ _everyone_ _else?_"

Katara's heart lept into her throat. "I… I…"

Hama was beginning to look angry, and the chicken began clucking wildly as the old woman's hands clenched. "Katara, I _watched._ I the man in the cage next to me used his own _piss_ to try and escape. He was beaten, and he died. The woman across from me chewed open her arm to use her blood. They cut her hands off, and she died. When I escaped, no one came with me because they _were_ _all_ _dead._"

Tears sprang into Katara's eyes. "I… I'm sorry."

Hama breathed deeply, and she relaxed. The chicken, suddenly freed, ran into the undergrowth.

"Do not apologize, child. I did not wish to tell you these things. But I want to make sure that the last hope for our tribe has the skills she needs to survive, and carry on our traditions. Do you understand?"

Katara nodded slowly. "Yes, I… yes, Hama. I'll try."

Hama smiled. "Good. Now, let's find that chicken…"

* * *

Aang, Sokka, and Toph stood by nervously as the village's healer poured hot herbed broth down the near-comatose man's throat. He coughed, and choked, but managed to get it down.

"What happened to you?" asked Aang after the healer left. The man's eyes flicked to meet the Avatar's. He opened his mouth, but the sound he made was too soft to make out. Aang leaned forward.

"_Witch." _

* * *

"Very good, Katara. You're a natural. Try spreading its wings."

The komodo chicken convulsed a moment, then spread its wings.

"You can practice this even when it's not the full moon, you know. I make hollow puppets and fill them with water to mimic a body. Now, try a more delicate movement: turning the head."

The chicken squawked, and its head turned. Unfortunately, it turned too far, and Katara gasped as the bird went limp.

"Hm. That's too bad. But you're definitely improving. And the truth, Katara, is that you don't even need the full moon, with this." Hama raised her arms, and the dead chicken flew into her hands. "There's still water there, after all."

Katara looked slightly disturbed. "Hama, it's dead."

"It can be tomorrow's dinner. I'll have you practice with the puppets tomorrow. Those are less delicate. Besides, I think that's enough for tonight. We should both get some rest."

When the two waterbenders got back to the inn, they saw Sokka, Aang, and Toph standing by the doorway. Katara saw the looks on their faces, and immediately knew something was wrong.

"Katara," said Sokka. "We found out what happened to all the people who disappeared!"

"I found this cave!" said Toph. "It was huge, and-"

"It was full of these disgusting rotting people!" interrupted Sokka. "It was so awful, and-"

"One guy was still alive," added Aang. "And we rescued him, but he said-"

"It was a witch that did it!" finished Toph.

Hama and Katara stared, shocked. "A… a witch?" sputtered Katara, after a moment.

"Yeah, and we talked to old man Ding, and he said that something was _controlling_ him with weird witch magic!" Sokka nodded fervently.

"Controlling-" Katara stared at Hama, who lowered her head.

Katara's jaw dropped. "You…"

"Yes, me." Hama raised her face to meet Katara's eyes. "I'm the one who did it."

Aang's eyes became as big as saucers. "W-what?"

Hama continued to look straight at Katara. "They threw me in prison to rot, along with my brothers and sisters. They deserve the same. Katara, when I am gone, you must carry on my work."

Katara shook her head in horror. "No…. no, you _tricked_ me! You said this was just to survive!"

"Survive, yes! And to _destroy_ this entire vile nation!"

Sokka put his hand on his sword, and Toph dug in her feet. Aang pointed at Hama. "No. We won't let you do this!"

"Won't you?" Hama extended her hands, and Katara's three companions' arms snapped to their sides, their backs straightening. "Kata-" started Sokka, but then his jaw clamped shut.

"Let them go!" cried Katara.

"Katara," said Hama. "You are young, and full of spirit. You can use bloodbending to win the war. You can use it to save the _world_. Listen to me. This is the most important thing you will ever learn. Will you learn it from me?"

Katara backed a step away, shaking her head mutely.

"Then you give me no choice. I will keep your friends as my prisoners until you learn all I can teach you. Then, perhaps you will see what needs to be done."

"No! Let them go, now!" Katara shifted her legs into a waterbending stance.

"Katara, I don't want to fight you. You are the hope for our tribe."

"Then let them go."

Hama moved her body, and Toph, Sokka, and Aang were flung in between the two waterbenders. "If you want to fight me, you'll have to go through your friends. And neither of us want that, do we?"

Katara paused. Then, she straightened her posture, and stuck her hands out straight. She felt the water in Hama, and _grabbed_ it.

Hama's face contorted, her arms twitched, and for a moment Sokka, Toph, and Aang were freed. They whirled around-

And then Hama grabbed them again. "Katara, I am a waterbender too. We can't very well use this technique on each other, can we? I won't hurt your friends. Join me."

Katara shook her head. "No! I won't let you do this! I won't let you terrorize these people, and I won't let you hurt _anyone!_"

Katara reached out, this time to the three bodies in front of her, and pulled forward. Her intention was to get her friends out of the way.

But that isn't what happened.

At the same moment Katara tugged, Hama pulled back with her own bending to keep the three in place. And Aang, Sokka, and Toph, like the skins filled with liquid that they were, simply ripped open.

* * *

The starving man survived, against all odds, and told the villagers what had happened to him and to the others who had been taken. The stolen villagers' loved ones finally got closure, and they put their dead to rest at last.

As for Hama the innkeeper, she gave herself up when confronted, confessing to all her crimes and more. She showed no remorse.

Still, they say, in that backwater Fire Nation town, that though Hama is long dead and burnt, her spirit still haunts those woods. That you can still hear the cries of the lost spirits under the mountain, and that on full moon nights the waters still tremble and scream with grief.

* * *

**A/N:** Because 'My bending is more powerful than yours' is about the dumbest line I've ever heard. I mean, it sounds like it belongs in 'Dragonball Z' or something…


End file.
